Inequitable Love
by God Boy's Girl
Summary: Loki's plan on Svartalfheim failed, and he's been brought back to Asgard as a prince under strict new rules. Thor has realized that his love lies with another, and Jane has been asked to remain in Asgard until the wedding, to which she agrees. What happens when a disgruntled, disgraced prince and a stubborn, heartbroken mortal find themselves alone in each other's company? [AU]
1. Chapter 1

_A/N:_ Hey guys, don't kill me, haha. I'm still working on Masquerade, but this story here wouldn't leave me alone so it had to be written. Both stories will be updated pretty regularly, work and life allowing, so no worries there. This is a TDW AU where Loki's plan to trick Thor fell through. Please read and review, as it keeps my motivation up!

**Disclaimer:** I do not own Marvel or any characters herein. This is written for purely entertainment purposes.

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><p>Anything written solely in <em>I<em>_talics_ is a flashback. Single words in _I__talics_ is merely an emphasized statement.

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><p>Jane wasn't sure what to make of the turn her life had taken. She gazed out at the corner of the palace garden she could see, sighing. This was what she'd ultimately wanted, wasn't it? To venture to another world—realm, as it were? Yes, she thought, it was. But not like this.<p>

Jane Foster stood on one of the balconies of Asgard's kingdom, granted permission to stay by Odin All-Father himself at the insistence of Thor. Thor's reasoning, however, was not because he wanted Jane to stay as his wife. No, he'd realized that he wasn't in love with her after all, and as Jane recalled the conversation that had been one of the hardest in her life, her heart clenched painfully.

"_Jane, might I have a word with you?" Thor asked, his tone nearly hesitant. Jane, who'd just stepped out of the guest room that had been provided for her, smiled up at the Asgardian prince. "Of course. How did Court go?"_

_Thor smiled at her, although his eyes appeared troubled as the pair began to walk down the hallway together. "It went well. Father has made his decision, and although most of Asgard is not thrilled for the news, they must abide by the new rules."_

_Jane smiled, knowing how much this meant to him. "That's wonderful. So things will finally be going back to normal for you, then?"_

"_Yes, somewhat," Thor replied uncertainly, before looking down at the brunette. He paused in his stride, and Jane turned to look back at him, brow furrowed. "What is it, Thor?"_

_He drew in a deep breath. "Jane, you know that our time together has meant a great deal to me, but there is something that I must confess."_

_Jane fought to keep her expression neutral, but her insides were swarming with inexplicable dread. "Yes?"_

"_When we were on _Svartalfheim_, just before we battled against Malekith, there was a moment when I realized that it may have been the very last fight I would be in," he stated slowly. "I thought about everything I had done, and all that I have had in my life that I would miss, but one thing above all I could not simply dismiss."_

_Jane hated conversations that dragged out, and gestured gently for him to continue. "And what was that?" _

"_I came to the realization that the one thing I was going to miss above all else . . . was going to be Sif," he said earnestly, and Jane could tell that this was nearly agonizing for him. He didn't want to hurt her feelings, and it showed as he drew in another breath to continue. "I am in love with her, Jane, and I was a fool not to have realized it sooner. I am _so, so_ sorry. There are not enough words to convey the sorrow I feel at having to say these words to you."_

_Jane bit back any immediate thought that crossed her mind. She had to be rational about this. Thor was her friend, and she could tell how much this meant to him—and from what his expression and tone betrayed, he really _hadn't _discovered his feelings before this. She almost wanted to laugh—men really were clueless, especially when it came to themselves. Still, she realized, at least Thor was being honest. That was more than anyone else she'd ever dated had given her._

_So, with a heavy heart, Jane put on her brightest smile and looked up at Thor, who was still nervously waiting for a response. She tilted her head a little. "Then you should be telling Lady Sif all of this, not me, silly."_

_Thor's expression turned from relieved to excited as he suddenly engulfed Jane in a bone-crushing hug, spinning her around. "Thank you for understanding, my dear Jane! You are truly an astounding being!" he said elatedly, before setting her down and smiling brightly. "Fear not, though, as I still vow to protect you should the need ever arise again. You have my word."_

_Jane nodded, continuing to force her smile into existence. "Thank you, Thor. Now, go find your lucky lady. You deserve to make each other happy."_

_Thor nodded enthusiastically, missing the way Jane's voice cracked at the last half of her statement. He offered a few more words of thanks before hurriedly making his way down the corridor to prepare for his discussion with Sif. Jane watched him as he left, feeling tears threatening to fall. She turned to head back to her temporary room, her heart heavy and cheeks finally wetting._

_She didn't notice the figure that disappeared around a pillar at the opposite end of the corridor as she stepped into her room._

Jane ran a hand over her face in frustration as the fog of memories dissipated. She'd spent the rest of that day in her room, and the next day rumors were floating around the kingdom. Later, those rumors had been confirmed over dinner—which Thor had insisted she attend despite the fact that she could practically feel Odin's lack of enthusiasm at having a mortal at the table—that Thor and Sif were to be wed. It shouldn't have shocked Jane as much as it had; customs in Asgard were bound to be different, after all, and the couple had known each other for centuries prior to this. She could see the sheer delight on Sif and Thor's faces after the announcement had been made, especially as Fandral and Volstaag began a celebratory toast. They looked very happy, and Jane realized that Sif must have been in love with Thor for quite a while now. She recognized the look of undiluted happiness on the dark-haired woman's face, and Jane genuinely hoped it lasted despite her own feelings toward the prince. Odin appeared pleased as well, and Jane figured that he probably approved of the union between his son and one of the best warriors Asgard had to offer.

_Yes_, she thought, _Sif will make a wonderful queen._

So, cue Jane's surprise when Sif had approached her as she'd been preparing to be sent back to Midgard at any time, asking her to be a part of the wedding. She was even more astonished when Sif had cited the reason as being such a large part of Thor's return as a worthy warrior and prince, and her closeness and influence over his maturing.

She'd said it would mean a lot to the both of them if she agreed.

So, of course, ever-the-kindhearted Jane agreed with a strained smile and found herself being granted permission to stay until the day after the wedding, which would be held in three months' time.

But, this was what she'd wanted—to discover the realm a god had fallen from, see the beauty of it without the influence of the Aether, and to learn more about their customs, right?

Yes, she lied, more to herself than anyone else. Yes, of course it was.

xXxXxXx

Loki scowled in irritation, tossing aside the book he'd been attempting to read and leaning back into the chair he was seated in. He glared up at the ceiling, pinching the bridge of his nose in an attempt to alleviate the headache that was forming due to the impossible stress that had been thrust upon him.

Why did his brother—no, why did _Thor_ insist on making his life significantly more difficult than it needed to be? He'd planned for every possible outcome on Svartalfheim, including the one where his existence was ended and he was sent to whichever afterlife he was bound for. He didn't believe in going into anything _without_ a plan, and when he was caught off guard, which was _not_ often, he was never happy about it.

This outcome had not been planned for, and thus, Loki was _not_ happy. At all.

He breathed in deeply through his nose, before exhaling slowly, flexing his fingers as the scenario once more raced through his brain.

Malekith wasn't intended to die immediately, Loki was—or, at least, it was supposed to appear that way. But that _girl_ had gotten in the way. She'd distracted him and he'd had to protect her, and the rest was a blur of motion. Malekith had fallen before the Aether could bond with him entirely, and it had ruined everything. Thor had incapacitated Malekith as Loki killed Algrim, and with the rest of his plans ruined, Loki had allowed himself to slip and he assisted Thor in killing Malekith, getting justice for the death of Frigga. He refused to dwell on how good it felt to avenge the woman he'd known as his mother for most of his life, and refused even more to think about how much better it felt with Thor at his side doing it.

His plans had been utterly and completely destroyed, and so he'd prepared himself to be thrown back into the dungeons of Asgard upon his return.

But no, Thor and his idiotic big mouth had refused to even allow him to have _that_ luxury.

Thor had demanded Court immediately upon their return, and Loki barely had any time to adjust to the shackles replaced upon his wrists before he was dragged before the king of Asgard. He didn't kneel—he _never_ kneeled—before his adoptive father as Thor apologized for going behind his back and traveling to Svartalfheim  
>to defeat the Dark Elves, but he announced that the quest had been successful, and thus Odin had nodded favorably towards the prince. Thor announced that the only reason he'd been successful was due to Loki's help and influence in his decisions on the Dark World, and he'd demanded that Loki's sentence be reduced because of his bravery and the deeds that had been done.<p>

Loki had stood by and observed, never opening his mouth as he watched the favored son speak with his father as though he were not standing there. Thor's hand waved often in his direction to emphasize a point, but not once did he look at the younger man during his entire speech. Not until the end, where an intense, sincere look nearly caught him off guard. A flash of his eyes was all that betrayed his confusion, but even that was schooled before anyone could notice.

Odin had remained silent for a long while, before he announced that everyone who wasn't a member of his family needed to leave the room. Loki had held out his hands, expecting to be escorted out.

He was shocked when the guards left, and Thor, Odin, and himself were the only ones still in the room. Odin had stood from the throne, Gungnir ever present at his side as he walked down the stairs towards them. Not for the first time, Loki had to steel his resolve as he was approached, as a part of the All-Father would no doubt intimidate him forever. Still, he didn't have to show it.

"_Loki, my son, you have brought honor upon yourself once more by valiantly fighting alongside Thor," _he'd said, his eye glowing with something Loki couldn't place. _"Unfortunately, as the law states, you are a criminal. I've made my decision; I did when you both walked in here, although the rest of Asgard will not know that. I cannot risk going off the official statements, but I will say this: I am glad you are both home."_

Loki scowled at the recollection, scratching at his wrist. How dare he call him son? Or claim to be glad for his return? The Trickster Prince didn't believe it for a moment, and just the thought made him want to grind his teeth. More words were spoken, but Loki's rage had muddled them to mere background noise.

What he _did_ know was that Odin had decreed that Loki was to be reinstated as a Prince of Asgard, but not as a warrior. His magic had been restrained with cuffs on his wrists, similar to the shackles he'd been led to prison with, but not as obvious. He wasn't used to being without his magic, and something as simple as cloaking himself took more effort than what it was worth at this point; little bursts of magic that he would have laughed at before left him nearly breathless now. The glares from the courtiers and guards were nothing new to him—he'd gotten used to that from when he'd lived here prior to Thor's coronation. It was being unable to do anything about them that bothered him, and he almost believed that this may be a worse punishment than being left in the dungeons. At least before he'd been able to amuse himself with pranks that sometimes bordered on more than harmless, whereas now the only places he could escape the ridicule was either in his room or the library.

He was currently seated in the latter.

He sighed, leaning forward in his chair again and running a hand through his hair. He didn't want this punishment. He didn't even want to be in Asgard, honestly. He couldn't stand the celebratory chatter that had spread throughout the kingdom after Thor's announcement. Loki had avoided all dinners with the Asgardian royalty since his return, and once Thor had located him and told him in person of the news, Loki had merely raised a brow at him and asked if he was supposed to be happy that the prince of Asgard got what he wanted yet again. Thor had appeared a little crestfallen, but the man bounced back quickly and told Loki that, if anything, he should be happy to be home again.

Loki hadn't even bothered to touch that one.

Although, Loki mused, he was curious as to why Sif had suddenly been chosen over the mortal girl who'd been infected with the Aether. It wasn't as if he cared, because truly he didn't, but it just seemed a little strange. It was no secret to himself or the Warriors Three that Sif held feelings for Thor, even if she'd never actually voiced this, but Loki could have sworn that Thor was infatuated with the little mortal. Quite honestly, he wasn't even sure why, because she wasn't anything particularly special. She did, however, have a decent amount of fight in her, he'd noticed, and his fingers lightly brushed where she'd slapped him upon meeting him face to face. He smirked a little, amused with the thought. She was a fighter, even if it would do her no good in the long run. She'd never be more than a mortal, regardless of how hard she fought that reality.

He barely moved when he heard the door to the library open. He shifted only far enough to glimpse sight of a brunette walking into the room, closing the door behind her. He frowned in irritation—clearly no one had warned the little mortal girl that there were some places in the kingdom one wasn't supposed to go, especially considering what kind of monsters wandered into them.

She looked up at the tall bookcases, some kind of excited glimmer in her eyes. Loki raised a brow, wondering what ever his adopted brother had seen in someone with genuine intellect. Thor wasn't one for book-smarts, so the fact that he'd taken interest in someone like that made him wonder if perhaps there were other reasons. He observed her quietly, knowing full well that she wasn't aware he was there yet. She walked around, allowing her fingertips to trail along the spines of the books, and she turned to look around even further, freezing as her eyes landed on the figure seated in the corner.

Jane had thought that, since the Aesirs seemed so battle-centered, maybe she could find some peace in quiet in the library Sif had mentioned was in the castle. After some searching, and a few awkward door-openings, she'd been elated to discover a room that held books from floor to ceiling, _literally_. With eager eyes, she'd taken in the size of the room at first glimpse, merely scanning it. But as her eyes landed on the dark haired, green-clad figure in the corner of the room, wedged between the wall and a bookcase in a leather chair, she thought that perhaps this had been a bad idea.

"I thought that no one came in here," was the first thing Jane thought to say, and then she wanted to kick herself.

"Hm," Loki hummed, leaning back in his chair as he assessed Jane. "I suppose, if you take in the statements of the rest of Asgard, I _am_ no one. So, in a sense, yes, no one comes in here."

Jane sighed, not really in the mood to deal with the man who'd tried to destroy New York, even if he _had_ saved her life. "Look, I'm just in here to get some peace and quiet outside of my room. I'm not here to bother you."

"Is celebrating and drinking yourself silly not a part of your typical outing?" Loki asked, resting his left ankle on his right knee as he ignored her second statement. Jane's eyes followed the movement, not sure if she'd ever been in a more awkward situation than this.

"No," she frowned, walking over to a different bookcase and looking at the different spines on these. She could feel Loki's eyes trailing after her. "I can't say I ever really liked that sort of thing, even in college."

"Ah, yes, Midgardian _schools_," he stated thoughtfully, and Jane wasn't impressed with the way he said it as if it were some sort of inside joke. He continued, "I do wonder how your kind makes it on such basic knowledge."

Jane resisted the urge to scowl. "That _basic_ _knowledge_ seemed to be enough to hand you your defeat."

Loki grunted, having already expected such a rebuttal. "And yet the lack of better knowledge didn't stop you from messing with things outside of your expertise."

Jane glared at him from over her shoulder. "Don't you have anything better to do than pick on me?" she practically hissed.

"I can't say that I do, as I'm stuck in this castle with a magical cap that you couldn't possibly comprehend," he retorted, picking up a book from the table next to him. He'd gathered several earlier, and the one he'd tossed remained ignored. "And since I've read every book in this library, I'd say I could use the distraction."

Jane grabbed a blue book off of the shelf, examining it and taking it over to one of the chairs in the little cubby-corner Loki was in. She seated herself, brushing off the cover. She looked up at the man. "Well, I'm not here to be your distraction. I'm here to read and enjoy peace and quiet—like a good library is supposed to have."

Loki raised an eyebrow at her. "Oh, is that so? I could make it increasingly difficult for you to concentrate on reading if I really wanted to."

Jane looked up at him, matching his challenging look. "I had an intern who couldn't stop talking about bands and her favorite shows. I'm not scared of you, especially now that I know you don't have your magic to back up your threats."

"I think you'd find that I can be quite persistent, even without the addition of magic. As a matter of fact, it could end up being even more challenging."

Jane rolled her eyes, turning her focus back on the book. "I'm not going to dignify that with a rebuttal."

"Ah, so you intend to ignore me?" Loki asked, staring at her. Jane flipped open the book to the first page, skimming her finger along it. The dark-haired man stared at her for a moment, narrowing his eyes. "Is that a yes?"

Silence.

His eyes narrowed at her even more. "Is this some sort of joke to you?"

Jane turned the page, examining it. Still, she said nothing.

Loki opened his own book, perusing the contents of it despite knowing most of the book word for word. He wasn't used to having company in the library, and the fact that his company was intentionally ignoring him irked him to an extent. He heard Jane flip the page again and resisted the urge to huff.

They remained in silence for a few stretched minutes, the only sound being an occasional flip of a page from either party. Loki found himself settling more into his chair. Jane leaned back in her own, crossing one leg over the other. Loki would occasionally glance up at the brunette to see if she was distracted, but she faithfully stared at the book in front of her. After what seemed like an hour had passed, Loki cleared his throat.

"You are aware that I know you can't read the language that book is written in, aren't you?"

". . . Shut up."

Loki smirked. This would be fun.

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><p><em>AN: And the fun begins, haha! Please read and review! I'm sorry for any spelling mistakes or otherwise, as it's quite late and I'm a tired little being, haha._

_Thanks!_


	2. Chapter 2

_A/N: _Hey, look, an update! That's always exciting, haha. Thank you SO much to everyone who reviewed! Real quick, to clear up a bit of confusion, I intentionally made Odin's decision about Loki's punishment seem rushed, but that'll be explained later on, I promise. Regarding Thor's decision on Sif, however, it's not uncommon in a life or death situation to have things suddenly hit you (I speak from personal experience, actually, haha), and considering Thor's personality is to be honest and, quite frankly, rather blunt, I imagine he'd probably try to spare Jane's feelings as quickly as possible rather than string her along, so I went with it. That's all. :)

Please don't forget to read and review, as it keeps me motivated!

**Disclaimer:** I do not own Marvel or any characters herein. This is written for purely entertainment purposes.

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><p>xXxXxXx<p>

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><p>Jane wasn't sure what prompted her to return to the library after her last encounter with Loki a few days prior. It might have been because Thor and Sif were still preparing for the wedding, and every time Jane walked out of her room she either heard the hushed voices of the servants talking about how beautiful the wedding was going to be or what new arrangements had been made. She was growing absolutely sick of it.<p>

_I guess some customs aren't that much different no matter where you are_, she thought as she opened the door to the library, having memorized the location of it the last time so she didn't end up accidentally opening the door to anyone's bedchambers again. Once had been enough.

She quietly slipped into the room and audibly sighed in relief as she spotted the empty chair Loki had previously occupied. She smiled to herself, looking forward to being able to look around at some of the books without feeling like she was being scrutinized. She glanced around, looking for a promising section before deciding that the spines of the books weren't going to tell her a lot. She wandered further into the library than she'd made it before, once again tracing her fingers along the books, a habit she'd gotten from wandering Erik's small book collection as a child.

She frowned as the familiar motion brought up the thought of her mentor, which inevitably brought up Darcy as well. She dropped her hand to her side reflexively. She really missed Darcy, and by an odd extension, technology. As much as she enjoyed looking out the window at the beautiful sight of Asgard, she'd trade just about anything to be able to pick up a phone and call her best friend and explain to her what was going on, or even just to tell her that she was okay. Her brow furrowed.

Who'd have ever thought she would actually _miss_ Earth once she left it? She chuckled humorlessly at the irony of it before picking up one of the books and flipping it open. Once again she was faced with odd shapes that she figured could either be runes or words in some strange, foreign language. Either way it didn't really matter, she still couldn't read it. She'd passed up the ancient languages class in college, because who needed to know that kind of thing when you were studying stars and avoiding a social life?

She set the book back and picked up another, flipping through it to no avail once more. She sighed before walking to a different section, determined to at least make it so that she could get out of this sour, self-pitying mood. She'd had enough of that after the announcement of the wedding, and she was starting to resent her inability to just let it go. If teenagers could get over heartbreak, so could she, right? Right.

She spent a while longer browsing through the selection of books, ultimately deciding on a few books that held a decent amount of pictures in them. It might seem childish, but she was determined that even if she couldn't read the books, she'd look at the pictures and see what she could decipher out of them. Maybe she'd even find Sif and see if she could confirm or deny her guesses. It would at least give her a chance to be civil towards the woman.

Jane walked over and took a seat in the chair she'd sat in before, spending longer than she was proud of trying to find a comfortable position. She grunted in irritation as her fourth attempt proved to be futile, before staring at the chair across from her. Raising a brow, she glanced around the room to make sure that she really was alone. Once she was satisfied, she grabbed her books off of the small end table and walked over to the chair, dropping the books next to it and flopping down onto the chair.

She smiled in contentment as the leather of the chair settled in around her, obviously from quite a bit of use. It felt fantastic, and she leaned back happily. She could definitely see why Loki had chosen to sit here, and she flipped open her book eagerly now that she had a _very_ comfortable chair to enjoy it in.

xXxXxXx

Loki scowled ahead of him, a flash of Malekith's face blasting into his memory before he spun on his heel gracefully, throwing his arm out and releasing the dagger in his hand as the target that had been behind him came into view, lodging it to the hilt into the wood. He glared at it, brushing a few strands out of his hair that had spilled out due to all of the energy he was exerting. He growled, reaching for the pouch he was now required to carry due to his lack of magic. He let his hand slide back down to his side as he found the pouch empty, clenching it into a fist before he dashed forward, slamming it into the target hard enough to cause it to splinter. He didn't even wince as he pulled his arm back, blood covering his fist. He rolled his eyes at the sight before grabbing the daggers and ripping them out of the wood. He wasn't sure how long he'd been here fighting against immobile enemies, but even this was beginning to lack any sort of therapeutic response for his building rage.

He turned on his heel and began to walk out of the training grounds of the kingdom, pretending that he didn't feel the eyes that were following him.

This was getting old, and it was getting old quick. He sighed, making his way back indoors and ignoring how the courtiers clammed up the closer he got, and the suspicious stares that were aimed his way merely received a glare in return. He got to his chambers and went inside, shutting and locking his door in irritation as he grabbed fresh clothing and went to his bathing room.

He wasn't quite sure how long he seated himself in the nearly-boiling water. He wasn't always a fan of the heat—imagine that, considering his parentage, he thought bitterly—but today was an exception. The water seemed to soothe him to an extent, almost as if it could scald off all of the scorn he was receiving. Still, despite the fact that no one thought him capable of his tricks without magic, he was sneaky enough to catch the conversations around when he wanted to.

He'd stopped after a day or two, though, because the discussions held nothing of interest to him. That's what he told himself, anyway, as he wanted absolutely no part of what colors Sif had decided for the wedding, or what the latest heroic deed Thor had done in preparation for his coronation.

"_Sif will look stunning on Thor's arm. I told you it would only be a matter of time before the prince recognized her worth!"_

"_I'm glad that slimy second prince was finally apprehended. I don't understand why the wise king would want to continue to acknowledge ties between them. If he were _my_ son, I'd have sent him to Niflheim as a punishment under Hela. I—oh, here he comes, quiet now."_

"_What a feast the wedding is bound to bring!"_

Loki scowled at the memory of the gossip, dunking his head under the water in an attempt to rid himself of the endless chatter in his mind. He stared up through the water as his hair floated around him and he watched it float, always fascinated by the weightlessness that water seemed to give things. As a child he would take items and randomly put them in water to see which would float and which would merely sink to the bottom.

As he got older, he'd started using the comparison to himself and Thor. Thor would always float near the top, while it seemed like he would always sink further towards the bottom as far as Odin was concerned. He wondered briefly if that had been when the resentment had started, but he quickly sat up in bath again as his mind started to wander down that path. No, those thoughts would do no good to help his mood whatsoever.

He slowly climbed out of the bath as he allowed it to drain, grabbing a towel and draping it over his head as he dried his hair, followed by the rest of his body. He changed into black trousers and a matching shirt, allowing his hair to hand loosely rather than slicking it back. He made his way to the bed, gracelessly flopping down onto it. He had no one to impress in this room, and he allowed himself to sprawl out unceremoniously atop the mattress.

He lasted for less than five minutes before he was bored.

Getting to his feet, he slid on a pair of regular boots before striding out of his room. He told himself that he wasn't relieved for the lack of people nearby, and certainly not because that meant he wouldn't be subjected to anymore of the crudeness that followed them. He was pleased to find very little traffic on the way to the library, though, and he quickly disappeared inside, shutting the door behind him. At least in here he was among one of the few things that would never judge him—books. He debated for a moment on which he wanted to re-read, but before he could follow that thought very far he realized that something was off.

He scanned the room, only for his eyes to land on a traitorous figure in a very familiar corner. His eyes narrowed as he realized just what he was looking at, and he strode closer just to ensure that his eyes weren't deceiving him.

Jane Foster, the little mortal, was curled up in his chair, and she was fast asleep.

Loki wasn't even sure what to make of this situation. He almost wanted to laugh at the absurdity of it, but he was well aware that that would more than likely just end up with him waking her up.

But that still didn't solve the fact that she was in _his_ chair. He walked close enough to take a gander at the small pile of books that she'd gathered, noting that they were mostly children's novels that were equipped with quite a few pictures. He smirked. Had she chosen them specifically for that reason?

He turned to look at the slumbering mortal once more, raising a brow at the state she was in. First, he noted, the chair was obviously far too big for her. He doubted that, even seated like a normal person, her feet would touch the floor. As it was, however, she was curled up with her feet resting on the cushion, her arms cradling a book close to her chest as her head leaned against the back of the chair, tilted inward. Her hair hung loose around her, although Loki briefly noted that it wasn't messy.

She was just so . . . _tiny_, and awfully plain even by Midgardian standards. He leaned in a little closer, as if a nearer proximity would help him to see what Thor had once before. She looked as though she had only seen sun when necessary in her life, although he had a feeling that being infected with the Aether had more than likely _not_ helped her skin pallor in the long run. Whether she knew it or not, she was probably still recovering from its effects. It would explain her need to fall asleep in _his_ chair, he rationalized.

His focus turned to her hair again and he partially wondered if it was as soft as it appeared to be. He jerked back as if struck as she shifted a little, and steadied himself when she just hugged the book tighter and mumbled something inaudible in her sleep. He mentally scolded himself for his ridiculous reaction, pretending that he most definitely had _not_ been questioning something as silly as her hair. He turned, walking over to the bookcases again and skimming them before choosing a book and wandering back to the corner of the room he usually occupied.

Well, now there was a new dilemma. Where was he supposed to sit if this little mortal was in his spot? He toyed with the idea of dumping her unceremoniously out of the chair, but he didn't want to have to try to find where his chair specifically sat, because that mattered a significant amount and his hesitation had nothing to do with not wanting to disturb her. He sighed, staring at the chair she'd taken up on their previous encounter, although the idea of it didn't appeal to him at all.

He looked down at the book in his hands, shrugging lightly to himself. He was nothing if not resourceful.

xXxXxXx

Jane slowly cracked her eyes open, allowing herself a peaceful awakening as she tried to recall what she'd been dreaming about, but it was to no avail. She emitted a soft yawn, stretching her arms out and sitting up in the chair. She smiled at the inanimate object, offering it a little pat of gratitude. She felt a lot better and calmer than she had when she'd originally fallen asleep. She had to admit that she was surprised she'd even passed out in such a strange location, especially when she'd been struggling to sleep on what was undoubtedly the most comfortable bed she'd ever been on in the guest room. Still, she was just glad to have caught up on some of her rest at all.

She looked around, happy to see that she was still alone in the library, and she set the book aside on the table next to her. She figured she should probably go make sure that nothing too exciting had happened during her absence, or to at least go take a shower—or bath, anyway. She doubted Asgard had the technology for something as convenient as an actual shower. She climbed to her feet, stretching, before stepping forward to get to the door.

Jane's foot connected with something firm and most definitely _solid_, and before she could so much as form a thought she'd tripped over the object. She shrieked, landing hard and awkwardly on the floor, her legs still sprawled over whatever had caused her to fall. She groaned, gripping her head.

"_Ouch._ One would think someone who is used to being so close to the ground would be more accustomed to actually _looking_ where they are stepping."

Jane stiffened automatically, turning her head slightly, only to make eye contact with a pair of emerald orbs. She swallowed hard, quickly scrambling to get her legs back under her as she kneeled on the ground, now facing Loki. She opened her mouth to respond, only to pause.

Loki was lying on his stomach about a foot in front of the leather chair, a book opened in front of him as he stared at her like she'd grown a second head. His partially curly hair lingered just below his shoulders, and Jane noticed that it framed his face quite nicely when it wasn't slicked back—and that black really did suit him. She quickly shook _that_ thought from her head as she glared at him. "Well, if you weren't lying on the ground like a dog, I wouldn't have tripped over you."

Loki's expression spoke of irritation, but his eyes shone with what Jane almost would have sworn was mirth. "I would have been in my chair had someone not been drooling on it."

"Hey, I do not drool!" Jane snapped back defensively, although she couldn't help but reach up to make sure that there weren't any traces of the offending liquid on her face, not noticing as Loki traced the movement with his eyes, smirking. She nearly breathed a sigh of relief as she found her mouth to be dry. She crossed her arms as she stared Loki down—or tried to, anyway. "What are you doing in here, anyway?"

"I assume it was for the same thing you were," Loki shrugged, closing the book in front of him. "To read and attempt to get away from the latest buzz of the kingdom, that is."

Jane frowned a little at the reminder. "I just came in to read, not so much the oth—wait, why didn't you just wake me up and move me if you're too stubborn to sit on the other chair?"

"Hmm, I suppose because you just looked _so_ comfortable," Loki drawled, his tone nearly sarcastic. "Not to mention waking you would more than likely require some sort of physical contact if it meant not screaming at you. So, lying on the floor was a better alternative, especially considering I used to do it as a child and it isn't something I'm unaccustomed to."

Jane pretended that the jab about touching her didn't sting, even if she wasn't sure why it had. "You used to read on the floor as a kid?"

"I've read in just about every space in this room," Loki stated, shifting into a sitting position himself, setting the book in his lap as he looked Jane over skeptically. Jane snorted disbelievingly. "_Every_ space? Even the top of the bookcases?"

"You'd be surprised what a practicing Mage is capable of," Loki replied, although his tone because a little withdrawn. "Not that it particularly matters much as of now . . . After all, you're awake and I get to have my seat back."

"Yeah, I guess so," Jane muttered, watching as Loki climbed to his feet. She craned her neck a little to look at him, realizing just how tall he really was. She frowned as he took a seat in his chair, leaning back and staring at her. She huffed, climbing to her feet and wondering why she'd even thought he'd offer her a hand to help her up. It wasn't as if she needed it, but she was so used to at least _some_ kind of courtesy that this was a bit jarring.

She got to her own feet, getting ready to turn before Loki cleared his throat. She glanced back at him, raising a brow. "What?"

He gestured to the books she'd set aside. "Did you choose these specifically because of the pictures in them?"

Jane felt her face flush a little bit and tried her best to ignore it. "Well, I figured that if I couldn't read the language they're in, maybe I could figure out something based on the pictures," she sighed, before glaring at him as a smug smirk began to spread out across his features. "Hey, it made sense at the time and it beat getting a headache because of trying to decipher the writing."

Loki rolled his eyes at her defensive tone, although in reality it was quite amusing to watch her get so flustered over something so simple. He gestured to a section of books that wasn't too far from his chair. "When you visit the library next, as it would appear you don't know how to stay away from it like the others do, I would suggest this section," he stated offhandedly, before looking down at the book he'd previously been reading, opening it back to the page he'd been on. "I think you'll find it has more prevalent information for you."

Jane stared at him for a long moment, trying to decide if he was messing with her again. Finally, figuring she had nothing to lose, she nodded. "Thanks, I'll have to check it out."

Loki glanced up at her from his book, but didn't bother to fully look at her. "Good. Now, off you go. Your hair and the bags under your eyes speak of sleeping in a chair and it's not something that's pleasant to look at."

Jane glowered at him, spinning on her heel and making her way to the door. "You're an ass, Loki."

Loki smirked as she opened the door, looking back to his book. "Perhaps, but at least I look where I walk before I step."

Jane rolled her eyes before walking out of the room, intentionally leaving the door opened just a crack because she had a feeling he wouldn't be able to concentrate if it wasn't closed. She smirked with a bit of self-satisfaction, before making her way to her room, determined now more than ever to take a bath, telling herself it absolutely wasn't because a certain trickster had made her self-conscious.

Loki huffed in mild agitation as he stood to go close the door—not having a nearly-unlimited store of magic was ridiculously inconvenient, and he knew the mortal had left it open on purpose. But, she was entertaining to say the least, he'd give her that, but he'd find a way to pay her back for this stunt, even if it had just been a minor irritation. Perhaps not everything in this particular realm was going to cause him nothing but misery, at least while she was here.

He sat back down in his chair, looking at the books he'd gestured to earlier. Yes, he'd find a way to get even, and probably more, but first he'd have to find a way to make sure she continued coming in here.

And no, he told himself, it definitely wasn't because he enjoyed her company.

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><p><em>AN: This was more entertaining to write than I should probably admit, haha. The fun continues!_

_Please read and review, as it helps keep me motivated to continue!  
><em>


	3. Chapter 3

_A/N:_ I'm back with a new chapter, and quite a long one at that, haha! Thank you all SO much for the reviews, favorites, and follows! They're really helping to keep me motivated, especially with the fact that my health is causing me some significant trouble currently. Now, this chapter went in a COMPLETELY different direction than I had originally intended for it to, but I certainly hope you guys enjoy the turn it took, muahaha.

**Disclaimer:** I do not own Marvel or any characters herein. This story is written for purely entertainment purposes.

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><p>xXxXxXx<p>

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><p>Jane sighed, brushing out her hair as it finished drying. She never thought she'd be so inclined to chop it all off, but if this was what most girls went through just to have their hair look semi-decent, what was the point? She was just as happy throwing her hair up in a scraggly ponytail.<p>

The only reason she was even bothering with such a simple task was because there just wasn't anything else to do right now. She had woken up earlier and taken a bath, but the sky had been still partially dark outside and she didn't like the idea of wandering the castle so early. She already felt like an outsider, so lurking about wouldn't have made her feel any better.

She set the brush aside, getting to her feet and glancing out the window once more. The sun was finally starting to peak out over the horizon, and she found herself in awe again over the beautiful colors that Asgard was capable of producing. She smiled fondly, knowing that such a view was something she wouldn't get to see nearly as often back on Earth, so she was determined to commit this part of her "adventure" to memory.

She turned on her heel, making her way out of the washroom and heading towards her door. She felt the gown she'd been given brushing against her ankles as she walked and had to stop herself from hiking it up and finding a way to make it into a pair of pants. Dresses weren't her thing—never had been—so getting used to this was taking far more time than she was proud of. She sighed, yanking open her door. She didn't know what the plans for the day were, but at least she could wander for a bit before she found out.

She paused just outside of the door as the sound of voices echoed down the hall. She frowned, looking in the direction they were coming from. She began to walk towards them, pausing just as she reached the corner, the voices now loud enough for her to hear what was being said.

"—and I don't understand why he's back. The kingdom has _every_ right to have him thrown out. King Odin certainly can't expect that any of us will actually take him in with open arms after everything he has done! He is nothing but a liar and a cheat. We've all known this for centuries."

"Yes, but the second prince has been stripped of his abilities. That should hinder his trickery, so he should no longer be a threat to the kingdom. That, I'm sure, is what King Odin is counting on."

"I wouldn't count on that way of thinking, if I were you. That horrid man has poison for blood and a tongue of silver that should have been cut out long before now. Our King may be wise, but I say Prince Thor's coronation cannot come soon enough. Perhaps then the Trickster will be _properly_ dealt with."

Jane listened to the two speak, both females from what she could gather, her irritation growing the longer she stood there. She knew exactly who they were talking about, and she wanted nothing more than to yell at them for being so tactless. She made up her mind, rounding the corner to give them a piece of her mind, but the two fair-haired women were already halfway down the hallway. She growled softly, losing some of her nerve to chase them down as they continued to walk. It would be a lot more difficult to _not_ look as though she'd been intentionally eavesdropping if she caught up to them now.

She sighed, turning on her heel to go back in other direction. She had no desire to follow such awful, judgmental people. They reminded her too much of the scientists she'd been dealing with her entire career. She rounded the corner, deep in thought.

And slammed directly into a well-muscled chest.

"I do insist that we stop meeting in such violent manners," sighed a man as a pair of hands rested on Jane's shoulders, easing her back some before releasing her. Jane groaned, rubbing at her forehead and glaring up at Loki.

"It would be much _easier_ if you didn't just appear in random places," she argued, tilting her head a little to get a better look at him. He looked tired. "Why are you skulking around dark corners so early, anyway?"

Loki raised a brow at her curiously. "I could ask you the same. Isn't it a bit soon for you to be awake?"

Jane shrugged as if she hadn't been listening in on a conversation just a minute prior. "I wanted to go for a walk, and then decided that this wasn't the direction I wanted to go."

"Ah. Were you not interested in the rumor-spreading that was taking place, then?"

Jane sighed. "Honestly? No. Gossip is a waste of time and energy. Those girls have no idea what they're talking about, so I don't want to hear i—wait. Were you spying on me?"

Loki scoffed incredulously. "I assure you that I have far better things to do than follow a mortal around before the sun has even fully risen."

"Oh, right, skulking around corners. How could I have forgotten?" Jane muttered, rolling her eyes. She moved to go past him, but his frame once more blocked hers. "Where precisely were you intending to walk to?"

Jane huffed, opening her mouth to respond when a ridiculously loud grumble interrupted her. She froze, mortified as she realized that it had come from her stomach. Loki smirked down at her, clearly amused by her body's betrayal. "I am assuming you haven't eaten, as the kitchen won't be open for another few hours still."

Jane frowned at this information. She unconsciously placed a hand on her stomach, shaking her head. Loki made a humming sound before turning on his heel. "Very well, then. Follow me."

"Wait, where are we going?" Jane asked, moving to go with him and finding it to be a _lot_ more difficult keeping up with his long strides than she'd anticipated. He smirked even though she couldn't see it. "I suppose you'll have to wait and see, won't you?"

"You're insufferable," Jane grumbled. "If you're leading me to my death, I'll come back and haunt you for eternity, Loki. I just want you to know that."

"Your assumption wounds me," Loki declared sarcastically. "And I imagine that you would become quite bored following me in the afterlife. Assuming, of course, that you could keep up with me better in death than you are currently. Have you ever walked with purpose in your life?"

Jane glared at the back of his head, jogging a little to catch up to him. "I walk with purpose all the time. I'm just cursed with shorter legs than you."

"Mere excuses. I know of dwarfs that walk faster," Loki taunted, looking down at her from the corner of his eye. "Your determination is admirable, however."

Jane rolled her eyes at him again. "You still didn't say you weren't going to try to kill me."

"Hm, no. I suppose I did not."

"So, are you?"

"Answering that would ruin half the fun."

". . . I hate you."

"Yet you are still following me."

Jane shook her head, questioning all logic in her decision to even talk to this man, let alone follow him anywhere. Still, she _was_ quite curious about where he was planning on taking her.

She cursed her scientific nature. Again.

xXxXxXx

Jane hadn't expected Loki to lead her to what was undoubtedly the largest kitchen she'd ever laid eyes on, so when that was where they ended up, all she could do was gape until Loki ushered her inside.

"I swear, you are attempting to alert the entire kingdom to our presence here," he grumbled, shutting the door behind him. He locked it, turning to Jane, who wore a suspicious expression. He raised a brow inquisitively. "What is it?"

"Why are we in here?"

"To eat," Loki responded simply, walking over and gathering pans and utensils as though he were the regular chef in here. "I know your kind possess kitchens, so you should have been able to figure that much out for yourself. Or have I given you too much credit?"

Jane shot him an unimpressed look. "Of courseI know that. I just don't understand why you'd go through the trouble of trying to cook if you have servants to do it for you."

"First off, there is no _trying_ to cook. I can cook better than most of the kingdom's chefs," Loki stated, pointing a whisk-like object at her. Jane almost wanted to giggle at the absurdity of it, but she refrained as he continued speaking. "Secondly, I don't like anyone near my room, which leaves me with no other option but to eat in the dining hall, and I have no interest in that."

"Well, excuse me if I don't think you look like the chef type," Jane stated, before frowning. "And why don't you want to eat in the hall? It's beautiful."

"Probably for similar reasons you don't enjoy it," Loki sighed, gathering a few more supplies. Jane could hear the sound of what was probably the whisk hitting a bowl repeatedly. "As much as Thor would like to believe that all is well, it isn't nearly so. I hear more than I let on, and I would sooner starve than feast at a table I'm unwanted at, unless it otherwise suits me."

Jane ignored the initial barb directed at her, getting straight to the point. "But Thor would want you there. He's commented on it before."

"Yes, and then I am to sit idly by as his attention is drawn away by his fiancé and the Warriors' Three," he remarked mockingly, and Jane tried to pretend that it didn't echo how she felt. He glanced up from heating up a pan. "Pardon me if I am not shaking with anticipation."

Jane sighed at his tone, wandering over and looking for some kind of chair. She had a feeling asking if she could help would just end up with more mockery. She frowned as she realized there weren't any chairs in sight.

"If you're looking for somewhere to seat yourself, you're not going to have much luck," Loki said over his shoulder. Jane heard the sound of something sizzling, but his body was blocking her view. "Just sit on a countertop. I won't tell on you."

Jane laughed a little in spite of herself. She walked up to the nearest counter, which happened to be directly behind Loki, scowling as she came to a new realization. Why was everyone in this place so damn _tall_? She glanced at Loki, whose back was still turned to her. Mind made up, she placed both hands on the counter, mustered up as much strength as she could, and tried to jump up onto the counter.

She failed miserably, letting out a small squeak as she tumbled forward, barely catching herself before she could face-plant. She grumbled some expletives as she glared at the offending countertop. She'd _almost_ gotten her butt up onto it, so maybe with just a little more velocity—

"You aren't honestly considering trying that again, are you?"

Jane paused, glancing over her shoulder at Loki, who was now fully facing her with his brow arched. She sighed. Of _course_ he'd seen her pathetic attempt. She straightened some, turning around and setting her jaw in determination. "I can make it."

Loki's other brow joined the first. "You're being absurd. Even if you were to have enough strength in your legs, you simply don't have the height to get on there."

Jane planted her hands on the counter again. She didn't like being told she couldn't do something. Loki smirked at her. "I wouldn't, if I were you."

"It's a good thing you aren't me, then, isn't it?" Jane retorted haughtily, aware that she was behaving childishly—but this was Loki, and it wasn't like she cared about his opinion of her, anyway. Before Loki could offer another warning, Jane jumped up, putting as much energy and strength into it as she could this time. She felt the ledge of the counter against her rear—

And she missed. Again.

She anticipated the ground this time, but was caught off guard as a strong pair of hands grabbed her around the waist, stopping her fall and hoisting her up onto the counter. Jane's eyes flew up to look at Loki, but by the time she'd reached where his face would be, he had already released her and was heading back to the food. She was partially glad he hadn't gotten to see her face. She had an uneasy feeling that it was probably beet red, and she couldn't place why.

"I _did_ warn you not to try it," Loki stated conversationally. Jane looked at the back of his head, but he continued speaking before she could manage a response. "From what I keep seeing, though, you seem to be rather stubborn for a mortal. I'll give you that."

The man spun around gracefully, holding a plate of food in each of his hands. Jane raised a brow at him, ignoring his taunt. "Well, that didn't take long. How did you manage that?"

"Hm, our concept of time is different, apparently. It felt like eternity to me," he smirked, holding out a plate that Jane gladly accepted. "I would normally take significantly less time, but magic restrictions are quite hindering."

"Your magic really allows you to do that much?" Jane asked skeptically.

Loki shrugged noncommittally. "My magic _allowed_ me to do many, many things, from quickening everyday tasks to defeating enemies with the flick of my wrist. It's much different now."

Jane nodded slowly, looking down at her food curiously, trying to imagine what it would be like to go through such a major adjustment. She poked what looked like scrambled eggs and some kind of ham-like product with her fork, wondering if all meals were so similar to Earth's (although considering some of the feasts in the dining hall, she doubted it), or if Loki had chosen to make this because of her.

"The food won't kill you, you know. I'm not feeling up to attending Court for murder today."

Yeah, probably not for her benefit, Jane decided. She stabbed her fork through the eggs and took a bite. Her eyes lit up in delight—this was amazing! She took another bite almost before she'd even finished the first. She looked up as Loki made a noise that sounded suspiciously like a chuckle. "What?"

"Oh, nothing, I was just wondering if you were single-handedly attempting to bring back the Neanderthal way of eating. Don't you need to breathe?" he asked, his ever-present smirk practically glowing.

"You know, on Earth, some would consider fast eating to be a compliment," Jane groused, rolling her eyes as she took another bite. She swallowed before adding, "This is really good, though. Where did you learn to cook so well?"

Loki looked down at his plate, moving some of the food around on it. He was silent for a long moment, and as Jane was about to tell him not to worry about answering her, he shifted, looking out at the rest of the kitchen. He had a faraway look in his eyes, and Jane closed her mouth, waiting for him to say something, a different air settling in the room.

"When I was just a child, I used to have these vivid nightmares of being outside in the snow, freezing to death and unable to do anything about it," he started slowly, his voice barely above a whisper. "At the time, I had no idea what they could have been from, but they would terrify me and I would wake up as cold as ice. I would get out of bed to try and shake it off with a walk, but my . . . my _mother_ would always find me before I could get far. She wouldn't ask questions, never mentioned if I was crying—she would just scoop me up and take me to the kitchen. She always refused to wake any of the servants, and would start by making me something warm to drink. Once I had settled down, she would start to cook. It would be different things, but no matter what, it was always delicious."

Jane listened intently to what Loki was saying, her gut telling her that she was listening to something _extremely_ personal that most people didn't get to hear. She stayed silent, and Loki looked back down at his plate as he continued to talk.

"When I started to get older, and the nightmares didn't get better, she would continue to join me on my walks. We would go out to the garden sometimes, but for the most part we would just find our way back to the kitchen. Something about the routine seemed to work as far as relieving the stress. She started to teach me how to cook for myself, saying it would be a good thing to learn, and sometimes when Odin was in Odin-Sleep and she was unable to leave his side, I would be able to take comfort in the familiar motions. Now, everything that I make is, for the most part, something that she taught me how to cook. The only time it hasn't been was when I was on a long journey away from here."

Jane looked down at her plate, wondering if her own mother would have been able to teach her how to cook with more than just a toaster had she survived the car accident that stole both of her parents. She pursed her lips for a moment before turning her attention back to Loki, who was still staring at his plate contemplatively. She drew in a deep breath, putting on a light smile. "Your mother was a wonderful cook, then."

Loki's eyes met hers, and for a moment Jane's breath completely left her. There was an expression in his green orbs that she couldn't place, but it seemed to be somewhere between sadness and light humor. It was broken by a smirk a moment later, and he turned back to his plate, stabbing some of the eggs with his fork. "Yes, I suppose she was. She was brilliant at everything she did, although I'd say teaching me how to cook was probably her greatest accomplishment. I was always so against it because I thought it made me too much like a girl. I already got mocked for using magic instead of weapons."

Jane giggled some, setting her empty plate onto the counter next to her. "You used to get made fun of for using magic?"

"Yes. Apparently it's much more feminine than smashing things with a hammer or stabbing things through with swords," Loki smirked. "But it's alright, because those same people who mocked me for such things often ended up stabbing or smashing clones as I snagged their capes on something sharp."

Jane's giggle turned into an uproarious laughter. "I can picture you doing that! I bet it was amazing!" she laughed, grinning at him. "Why would anyone mock that? It seems way more effective!"

"Oh yes, most definitely," Loki confirmed, his smirk widening. "My favorite moment was during a training session when I tied Thor and Fandral's capes together. They spent quite a while attempting to untangle themselves. I got yelled at for it later on, but to this day I have never regretted doing it."

Jane shook her head, chuckling. "I would pay money to have seen that."

Loki looked as though he was about to say something, but seemed to think better of it. He took a bite off of his fork, his expression one of contemplation. Jane swung her legs out in front of her, her hands resting on the counter as she watched him. This was . . . strange. They were having a relatively civil conversation. She hadn't even thought such a thing would be possible, but she found it to be almost comfortable. Loki was intelligent, she'd give him that much, and although his moods seemed to shift from one extreme to another depending on the day, he kept her on her toes. Considering there wasn't too much else to do around here other than pretend she was helping with a wedding she had no idea how to prepare for, she was happy for the distraction and entertainment. She'd never admit it to Loki that he was as interesting to be around as he was, as the man _clearly _didn't need an ego boost, but he did provide her with a welcome source of quick-witted conversations.

"Is there something interesting you're looking at in particular? Or do I have food on my face you're not planning to inform me of?" Loki asked, raising a brow at her suspiciously. Jane snickered some, shaking her head (and it most definitely wasn't because she was fighting a blush at being caught staring).

"No, I was just wondering something," she replied thoughtfully, tilting her head at him. "I know you said that you have magic restrictions, but do you have _any_ access to your magic?"

Loki sighed. "Not much of it. I can perform simple tasks, but they take too much energy to muster. Any magic I use now is thought out before completed, as it will drain me if I'm not cautious."

Jane was surprised at how quickly, and possibly honest, Loki was responding to her questions. She had a feeling he wasn't one to open up about things like this very often, and she wondered if the fact that it was so early in the morning had anything to do with it. She nodded thoughtfully as he took another bite of his food, before jumping down off of the counter, pretending that she didn't feel the small sharp pain in her heels from the height. Loki looked down at her curiously as he chewed his food, not quite sure what she was doing.

"Well, I must say again that your lack-of-magic cooking was delicious," she said, offering him a friendly smile. "Thank you, Loki."

Loki smirked at her. "You say that as though you've never had a decent meal before."

"And _you_ say that like you've never been thanked before and don't know how to take it," Jane retorted, sticking out her tongue at him. She turned on her heel, missing the nearly shocked expression that flickered across Loki's face. He watched as she walked towards the door, wondering what she was planning on doing. She paused as she reached it, looking back at him.

"I mean it, though, thank you. This was a nice change from my usual morning routine," she said, offering him a kind smile. "I think I'm going to go see what kind of plans are in store for today, since I'm sure someone is going to have something for me to do, and I wouldn't want to 'alert the entire kingdom that we're in here' if I'm being looked for, after all."

Loki scoffed at her, ignoring her mockery of his earlier phrasing. "I don't understand why you bother with the wedding preparations."

Jane rested her hand on the door handle, sighing a bit. "Because it's what a good friend does."

"Oh? I wasn't aware that placing one's feelings above another's was what a _friend_ constitutes," he replied, setting his own plate aside and leaning against the counter. "Do Thor and Sif understand what they've asked you to do?"

Jane's entire frame stiffened and she turned enough to look at the Trickster Prince a little better. "What are you trying to say?"

"I'm not attempting to say anything, I am merely stating the obvious. I am aware of what you feel towards him," Loki stated, staring at her. Jane could have sworn he was actually staring _through_ her. "I just don't know how you are expecting any good to come out of this. I bet you still attend the dinners, too, don't you?"

Jane's hand dropped from the handle and she turned to face Loki fully, unhappy with the tone he was striking with her. "You know what? Yes, I do. But at least I'm actually facing him and working through what's going on instead of hiding the entire time pretending that my problems don't exist," she practically growled. "So before you go poking your nose into something that you don't understand, why don't you focus more on why you won't even come to _one_ dinner? Thor doesn't let anyone sit in your spot, and he's _always_ disappointed when you never show up. Sif says he's always asking what he could have possibly done so horribly wrong."

"Is that so?" Loki asked, straightening. "If that is the case, then _good_. Thor only misses people when they are gone, Foster, and you'd do well to remember that. He takes others for granted when they are right in front of him—and before you attempt to defend him, listen and _think_. Is that not what happened between you both? Did he not choose Sif over you once you were beside him and she was not? Yet, he pined for you when she was present and you were not."

Jane felt as though Loki was digging a knife into her heart and twisting it _hard_. She jumped on the first part of his remark that she could actually stand thinking about. "Thor would not be unfaithful to Sif!"

"You are missing my point entirely," Loki snapped, stepping towards her in frustration. Jane matched it, crossing her arms angrily.

"Then please, feel free to explain it to me! I'm just trying to be a good friend to him and Sif, and here you stand trying to tell I'm wrong for doing so when you _clearly_ have _so_ many friends to gather experience from!" Jane practically shouted. "So if there's something I'm not understanding about this, just tell me!"

Loki scowled at her. "What being in their right mind assists in the wedding of the one that they covet?"

"I do _not_ covet him!" Jane growled back. "I just want him to be happy, and if Sif is what makes him happy, then so be it! That doesn't make me out of my mind, it makes me a good person!"

"Does it?" Loki asked, sneering at her. "Or does it give you an excuse to continue being close to him for the last bit of time you're here on Asgard?"

Jane eyes narrowed dangerously at him. She stepped forward, now less than a foot away from him, glaring up at the man furiously. "Don't you turn this around on me like I'm trying to be selfish," she seethed. "I am doing this because I was _asked_ to, not because I want to! I was preparing to go back to Earth when Sif came and asked me to be a part of the wedding, so you don't get to act like I'm just here to be close to Thor!"

Loki smirked suddenly, and Jane's anger faltered to confusion for a brief moment. His eyes lit up with something Jane couldn't place, and he shook his head as if he'd just heard the most incredulous thing. "You don't really love Thor as you once claimed, do you?"

Jane's heart clenched painfully and she stepped back, caught off guard by the sudden switch in his demeanor and his accusation. She opened her mouth to respond, but shut it almost immediately as she felt tears began to burn at the corners of her eyes. "It wouldn't matter if I did," she stated, her tone going soft. She cleared her throat, and she turned on her heel quickly, making her way towards the door again. "I hope you got what you wanted out of this conversation, Loki. I really do, even if I have no idea what that could have _possibly_ been."

She yanked open the door, not even giving Loki a chance to respond before she had disappeared, and the heavy door slammed shut behind her. Loki stared at it for a long moment once she was gone, mulling over everything that had just happened. This hadn't been what he'd expected from this morning, not by a long shot, and quite honestly he wasn't sure why he'd pushed her so hard on the subject. It had irked him when he'd overheard her conversation with Thor, and it had even more so when he'd learned she was planning to stay all the way through to the wedding, even going as far as to be a part of it.

This woman was complicated, and he didn't know why it bothered him so much that she genuinely thought that putting Thor and Sif's happiness above her own was a good idea. He scowled at the thought, turning around and gathering up the plates and utensils to clean them up before the kitchen would be ready to open. He wondered if he would apologize if he were actually the apologetic type, but knew that he wouldn't if for nothing more than the fact that he knew he was right. He'd seen it in her eyes just before he'd called her out. He was curious to know how long it would take for Jane to admit it to herself—she would have to at some point.

He sighed once the dishes were finished, making his way out of the kitchen and down the hall, looking in spite of himself to see if Jane was anywhere in sight. She wasn't, but he hadn't particularly expected her to be. Part of him wanted to go find her and shake the answer out of her so that she would stop being asinine, but he instead began walking to his room, wondering how the rest of the day was going to play out.

At least it was bound to be interesting.

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><p><em>AN: I know, I'm evil, haha. Loki just doesn't know how to let a moment stay nice, now does he? Please review and let me know what you think!_

_'Til next time!_


	4. Chapter 4

_A/N: _Hey, guys! I'm back with an extra long chapter full of lots of little goodies for you all now that my health is (mostly) back in order! Hooray! I really, truly appreciate everyone who has reviewed! You guys are the best, and you're helping to keep my motivation up more than you know!

**Disclaimer:** I do not own Marvel nor any characters herein. This story is written for purely entertainment purposes.

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><p>xXxXxXx<p>

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><p>Jane hadn't left her room since she'd stormed out on Loki that morning. She couldn't bear the idea of running into him, and she was brought back to tears every time she thought about him or their conversation. She was growing tired of hiding, though, and crying about what had been said wasn't making her feel better, just more pathetic.<p>

Why? Why did he have to be so _cruel_? She ground her teeth as she made her way to her door, mind reeling with frustration and determination. It didn't matter, regardless. As far as she was concerned, the man _had_ no feelings of his own, so he had no right to project his thoughts onto her.

God of Lies and Trickery definitely seemed to suit him.

With the castle abuzz with workers and courtiers, Jane made her way out of her bedchambers, convinced that a certain dark-haired man would be less inclined to be out and about with so many people wandering the halls.

xXxXxXx

"The white flowers were a good choice," Sif stated, watching as a servant carried a bouquet of white flowers (which Jane decided looked suspiciously like carnations) off to a table before clearing off the rejected colors. The dark-haired warrior turned back to Jane, offering her a light smile. "I appreciate your help, Jane. It's quite a relief to have another woman to go over this stuff with."

Jane smiled back at her, doing her best to make it look unstrained. She shrugged a bit. "I'm happy to help. I'm sure the Warriors' Three would have good opinions on things, too, just . . . probably not for weddings."

Sif smirked. "Volstagg wants to help with planning the wedding feast; Hogun will be making sure Thor continues to train during all of this, while Fandral will be busy choosing Thor's clothing and his own. That is about the extent of my willingness to let them help—and I still have servants watching over them just to be safe."

Jane chuckled. "Well, then, in _that_ case, thank you for having so much faith in me, considering I don't have servants following me around all the time."

Sif nodded to her as she placed a few fabrics down on the table next to her. "Of course. It's really sweet of you to help out so much. I wish there were more I could do to show my appreciation, especially considering you're staying so far away from home and Thor and I remain so busy with preparations. I certainly hope you don't grow too restless while there is down time."

"Oh, no, not at all," Jane waved her off, trying to appear nonchalant. "I've been exploring the library and staring out at the beautiful scenery around the castle."

Sif's brow furrowed at the mention of the library. "You haven't encountered any . . . _problems_, have you?"

Jane had a feeling she knew exactly what Sif was asking, and although she was half-tempted to fill her in on the morning's kitchen expedition, she thought better of it. "No, nothing in particular, just . . . Well, I do have one question._"_

"And what's that?" Sif asked, giving Jane her full attention. The latter was reminded of how striking the warrior was, and quickly shoved the thought aside. Now was _not_ the time to be entertaining jealous thoughts.

"Well, I've been noticing a lot of gossip being spread around the kingdom," Jane started, not sure why she was even bothering to bring this up after everything that had happened. Still, it was too late to go back now, and she _was_ curious. "I was just wondering what is typically done about something like that."

"It depends," Sif frowned. "Are they speaking of you?"

"Well, no," Jane sighed. "Actually, they've been talking about Loki."

"Oh," Sif muttered awkwardly, nodding. She was silent for a long moment, before looking Jane in the eyes. "If Loki has heard of this, he will take care of it. He is still a prince of Asgard, even if he is under restriction, and movements against him are still considered crimes. There isn't anything we can do, unless you happened to get the names of those who were speaking of him. Did you?"

Jane shook her head. "No, I didn't. I just know that they were women."

Sif nodded to her. "You needn't worry, Jane. As I said, if Loki knows about this and is bothered by it, he will make sure something is done so it's resolved. He's never been good about taking the criticisms of others, and he's always been the first to put people in their place."

"Even without his magic?"

"He may resort to having the guards arrest the offenders. Whatever it takes to satisfy him—he doesn't care."

Jane nodded, mulling the information over. If Loki had the ability to have people arrested for speaking against him, why didn't he? It just didn't seem like him to let something like that slide, and Sif's point only furthered Jane's suspicions on the matter. She sighed softly to herself, knowing that most of her assumptions were just that—assumptions. She was aware that she didn't know Loki nearly well enough to judge how he would behave in certain situations. This morning had proven that much.

"Well, I think that is more than enough wedding preparation for today," Sif said decisively, pulling Jane out of her thoughts. "How about we go horseback riding as a sign of my appreciation? I know of a few horses that could use a stretch, and I imagine a change of scenery would do us all some good."

Jane smiled at the suggestion. She'd get to go outside of the castle? "That sounds wonderful."

Sif returned the smile kindly. "Let us go, then."

xXxXxXx

Jane smiled unsteadily at Fandral, gripping the reins as though they were her only life-line in existence. The blonde chuckled, guiding his stallion a little closer to Jane's mare. "You needn't worry, milady. This darling here is one of our tamest horses. She wouldn't throw you off for anything."

"Thanks," Jane replied, hoping she sounded sincere. In reality, she was moderately terrified to be this high up off of the ground on a creature she had no idea how to control should it decide to run. "I'm just not used to riding horses, honestly."

"We will have to fix that before you leave!" Thor laughed, glancing back at them from his position. "By the time you get ready to leave, you will be a master equestrian!"

Jane laughed, doing her best to shake off the awkwardness she was feeling. When she'd agreed to this, she'd hoped it would just be her and Sif. In retrospect, she should have known better. At least it wasn't just her, Sif, and Thor—Fandral had agreed to tag along as well, claiming his stallion could use a good ride. They were all out wandering a small forest near the castle, and although the scenery was breathtaking, part of Jane wished she was back in her room.

They trekked on for a while, chatting about random things, and every once in a while one of the warriors would answer a question when Jane got curious about something. By the time they returned to the castle, Jane's rear was saddle-sore, and she was looking forward to curling up on her bed for a while, but a detour would be in order before that was possible.

"Will you be attending the feast this evening, Jane?" Thor asked, handing off his reins to one of the stable-boys. Jane glanced at him in surprise, but quickly masked it by nodding. "Yes, of course."

"Excellent!" he beamed, genuine happiness lighting up his bright features and causing yet another ache in Jane's chest. He grabbed Sif's hand as he turned. "We look forward to seeing you this evening, then!"

Jane watched them as they began to walk away, knowing deep down that Thor probably had no idea just what watching him and Sif was doing to her. She was glad Fandral had already gone off to do his own thing, because she wasn't sure she could deal with any questioning right now. She began to make her way into the castle, steeling her resolve and refusing to allow the happy couple to sour her demeanor any further.

xXxXxXx

Loki closed the door to the library behind himself once he was inside, giving the interior of the room a quick onceover and determining that he was alone. He refused to acknowledge that he might actually be a little disheartened as he gathered a few books and took a seat in his chair. He'd spent most of his day reading in his bedchambers, waiting until there was very little noise echoing throughout the halls before venturing here. The feast was due any moment now, so most everyone would be occupied with that instead of wandering about.

He wondered how Jane had spent most of her day. He'd glanced out his window earlier in the afternoon and had spotted her horseback riding with Thor and his posse. He'd dared to admit that he was disappointed in her—she was still in denial, even after all he'd said. Not that he should be surprised, he figured, as it had only been a matter of hours since he'd forced the revelation into her head, even if she wouldn't accept it yet. He huffed at the thought, glancing at the bookcase next to him, only to pause, staring at it.

Two of the books he'd suggested to Jane were missing.

He scowled. So, she was avoiding him now, was she? For some reason, that didn't sit very well with the raven-haired man. He sat in contemplation for a long moment, then set his book aside, a look of determination settling on his face as he stood.

"Very well, then. Challenge accepted."

xXxXxXx

Jane, being a personal guest of Thor and Sif, was always seated close to the prince—two seats away from him, to be more precise. The seat on his immediate left was occupied by Sif, while the seat to his immediate right had remained empty for every feast Jane had attended, kept this way in the hopes that Loki might actually show up. Jane was seated to the right of that particular chair, and for once wasn't concerned with the fact that it was vacant. She was, however, thankful that Odin wasn't present—it always seemed to help improve her mood when that happened.

Well, that and the mead she was slowly consuming. It was much stronger than the alcohol on Earth, so she wasn't able to slam it back like Fandral and Volstagg were doing, although she doubted she would even if she _were _capable. She took another sip, feeling the comfortable warmth settle in her stomach as she began to eat, listening to the conversations going on around her.

"—And I will _never_ understand how he pulls it off! Still, I will always cherish Volstagg's ability to negotiate food for our lives in perilous situations!"

"Ha! Your mind is ill-informed if that is how you recall that endeavor!" Volstagg roared, laughing. Thor grinned at them both.

"Do not jest, Volstagg! You know well enough that that's _exactly_ how i—ah."

Jane glanced up at Thor as the man suddenly faltered. He was staring towards the door now, a look of pure shock spread across his features. Brow furrowed, Jane's eyes sought out the source of his surprise, nearly choking on her food as she located it.

Standing in the doorway to the dining hall was Loki, his piercing gaze sweeping the room predatorily until his eyes landed on Jane. She couldn't name what she saw in them, but it made her nervous. She glanced back down at her plate, willing her heart to slow down. What was Loki doing here of all places? She briefly noted that the clothing he was wearing was far less casual than what she'd seen on him in the library, or even in the kitchen. Somehow that almost unsettled her more than his stare.

"Are you not pleased to see me?" the dark-haired man drawled, and Jane suddenly wasn't sure if it was aimed at her or not. She was spared from answering as Thor immediately stood up, dragging out the chair next to him.

"Do not utter such nonsense, brother! You are _always_ welcome here," he stated, motioning for the man to come over to him. "Please, join us. Someone get my brother a drink!"

Loki made an unimpressed grunt-like noise, watching as a servant scrambled to go gather more mead. He made his way towards the table, and Jane winced in realization. _Damn it!_

The second prince took his seat at the table next to Jane, grabbing the now-full goblet and taking a rather large swig. Jane attempted to discreetly slide her chair over some while he was occupied, but found the task impossible. She glanced down at the floor, scowling as she spotted the toe of Loki's boot wrapped around the chair's leg, hindering her ability to move it. She shot him a dirty look while Thor was distracted with settling back into his own seat. Loki merely quirked a brow at her in return before picking out some food for himself.

The atmosphere in the room was much more cautious now, and Jane found it to be stifling. Loki was still scanning the room, but his expression remained unreadable.

"I'm glad that you finally decided to join us, brother! Let us toast," Thor stated definitively, raising his goblet. Jane wondered if the man was blind, or if he was just trying to help lighten the mood. The nearly excited tone in his voice made her heart hurt for him in a strange way, and she had a feeling that Loki had no idea just how much his arrival here meant to the older prince. He was practically vibrating with elation. Everyone raised their glasses as Thor toasted to "reunited family". Jane drank from hers, glancing at Loki out of the corner of her eye, realizing that he was only pretending to drink now. She reached over and kicked him in the leg as hard as possible without being noticeable, deciding that if he was going to be difficult, then damn it, so was she! The man jerked at the sudden motion, accidentally tipping his cup further in the process and drinking some of the mead, resulting in him coughing as some of it went into his windpipe. He shot Jane a dirty glare through the coughing, trying to regain some of his composure and finding it more difficult than he wanted to admit.

Jane quickly spun her focus away from him and settled it instead on Fandral, who was seated across from her. The blonde warrior was laughing at Loki's sputtering, but was quickly drowned out as Thor's own laughter burst forth from the head of the table.

"Has it been so long since you've had good mead that it stopped in your throat, brother?" Thor grinned, clapping Loki on the shoulder. The latter stiffened at the contact, stopping himself midway through shooting a withering glare at the Thunder God, too. He cleared his throat, the coughing fit finally subsiding, lifting his chin as he responded tightly, "It would appear so."

"Well, we will most definitely fix that!" Thor beamed, pushing Loki's goblet back in front of him. "Drink! We shall dine into the evening, celebrating all good things coming together once more!"

Jane, who had been doing her damnedest to avoid making eye contact with Loki, took another swig of her own mead. She had a feeling that this was going be a very long, very awkward dinner. She glanced at the door longingly, wondering if she could crawl under the table and get away without hitting anyone on accident. Considering the fact that her head was starting to feel a little fuzzy, she doubted she'd make it very far.

"Don't even think about it," Loki hissed at Jane quietly, making her turn to look at him. He had leaned almost imperceptibly closer to her, eyes narrowing at her suspiciously. "You're not going to sneak out of this early and leave me alone with these buffoons."

"You can't force me to stay," Jane whispered back, irritated. She glanced around the table, realizing that everyone seemed to be returning to the lighter mood now. Just how much had everyone had to drink already in order for them to be so calm around the second prince so quickly? Or did Thor's happiness at the matter really have such a large effect? She glared back at Loki, aware that no one was paying much attention to them currently. Thor was speaking with Sif and the Warriors' Three while the other guests of the table listened and laughed at the tales being painted, and Jane took the opportunity to continue addressing Loki. "Why are you even here?"

"Why? Perhaps you have forgotten, but it was _you_ who suggested I come," he replied, keeping his voice lowered so as not to draw attention to them. He lifted his goblet and took another drink, his composure continuing to hold up as his green eyes pierced Jane. "Are you disappointed that I actually did so?"

"No, of course not," Jane growled. "It would just be nice if you weren't being a pompous ass in the process. You're completely ignoring everyone, so I'd say it's hardly different than when you're not here."

"Ah, but I'm _not_ ignoring everyone. We are conversing, are we not? Besides, I don't have very many things to say that are acceptable for a dinner conversation," he stated, glancing down at his fork as he moved something on his plate. He still hadn't eaten anything. "But at least I "showed up", as you put it, am I right? Is that not what you were reproving me of earlier?"

Jane ground her teeth. "You shouldn't be doing this because I mentioned it, or to prove me wrong. You should be here because you _want_ to be."

Loki smirked as he took another drink, before turning his head to fully face her. "Those words don't seem to fit your lips, dear. Are you borrowing them for a reason?"

If it was possible, Jane's eyes narrowed even further at the man. "What is it that you _want_, Loki?"

"I want a great many things, but very few of them are currently attainable for me," he drawled, and Jane could have sworn that maybe, just _maybe_ his words sounded a little slurred. Then again, she had no idea what his alcohol tolerance was, so there was a good possibility she was just imagining it. She focused on him again as he opened his mouth to speak. "I noticed that you were in the library earlier today."

Jane nodded, brow furrowing a bit at the change in topic. "I was."

"How did you enjoy the books?" he asked, and a flicker of _something_ lit up in his eyes. He didn't even flinch as a servant appeared out of nowhere to fill their cups back up.

"I don't know," Jane muttered, reaching for her goblet again. "I still wasn't able to read them when I got back to my room, so I don't know why you bothered recommending them to me. Was it just to give me false hope?"

"That depends," he smirked. "I assume that you just grabbed them and left without bothering to see what they were about in the library. Perhaps it was so you could continue to avoid me."

Jane flushed a bit, fully blaming the alcohol and not the fact that he'd just called her out. "I admit that I didn't look into the books before I left the room, but I don't see why that matters—and you've got a bigger head than I thought if you think I'd actually go out of my way to avoid you."

"Hm, I don't believe you," he replied, leaning towards her a bit with his eyes narrowed suspiciously. Jane's eyes widened, and she quickly glanced around to see if anyone was noticing the man. Everyone was laughing at something that Thor had apparently said, and he was grinning proudly with a dusting of red on his cheeks. _Great, everyone's drunk already . . _.

She had to bite back a squeak as her chair suddenly jerked soundlessly, and her eyes immediately shot back to Loki's. His emerald orbs were boring into her and Jane felt her chest tighten. He frowned almost imperceptibly. "Do not look away from me when I'm talking to you."

"Or what?" Jane hissed back, before her eyes widened some as her chair once again moved, although this time it pulled her a little closer to Loki. She swallowed hard, feeling her stomach heat up uncomfortably from the alcohol. He smirked at her challengingly, and she breathed in deeply. "That's not funny, Loki."

"It wasn't meant to be," he stated, his smirk widening. "But you are listening to me now, are you not? Why did you spend all day avoiding me?"

"I wasn't avoiding you," Jane lied, glaring at him.

"You are a horrid liar," he griped. "It's unbecoming of you. Now, why?"

"I wasn't," she repeated insistently. "I was busy helping out everyone, and I decided to grab the books for my room because I wanted some quiet time."

Loki quirked a brow. "Is that so?"

"Yes," she stated sharply. He stared at her for a long moment, and Jane felt a chill run up her spine. She shifted uncomfortably in her seat. "_What_?"

"I just find it entertaining that you think you can fool me," he shrugged. "Everyone knows better than to attempt lying to _me_."

"Did you come here _just_ to make my night more difficult?" Jane snapped, wishing he would back up some. He wasn't directly in her personal space, but his proximity was making her nervous. She ventured a glance at the table again, but still no one paid them any mind. _I'm surprised Thor hasn't said more to him, considering he's been wanting him her—_

"Now who is the one with the 'big head'?" Loki taunted, jerking her chair again to get her attention. She turned it back on him, shrinking away in her chair a little. She could definitely smell alcohol on his breath now, and she chanced a look at his plate. He still hadn't touched any of his food. "Do you really believe I would come here just to torment you?"

"Yes, actually, I do," Jane huffed. "Plus you haven't eaten anything."

"I'm not hungry."

"That only furthers my point," she jabbed, before placing both of her hands on her chair. She planted her feet on the ground and shoved back, only for Loki to release his grip on it at the last moment, causing her to jerk back harder than she'd anticipated. The legs made a screeching noise on the tile-like floor, and she felt her face burn in embarrassment as everyone stopped their chattering to look at her. Thor's brow furrowed.

"Is everything all right, Jane?"

Jane smiled awkwardly at the man. "Um, yeah, I just . . . I-I'm more tired than I thought I was, and the mead is only furthering it," she said quickly. "I think I'm going to go to bed now, but thank you so much for the feast and invitation. It was wonderful."

Thor nodded, a look of concern on his face. "Would you like one of the servants to escort you to your chambers?"

"No need," Loki stated, getting to his feet and looking down at Thor. Jane glanced at the table, wondering how difficult it would be to grab the fork and stab it in Loki's shoulder. She doubted she could gather enough velocity to aim any higher. The second prince scooted his chair in. "As much _fun_ as this has been, I was just planning to retire to my own bedchamber. I may as well escort Jane to hers, as it is on my way."

"Ah, well, all right then," Thor replied, sounding a little awkward. "I am glad you were able to come, brother. I hope we will see more of you at the feasts to come."

"We shall see," Loki responded almost coldly, before turning to Jane. She scowled at him, turning away and heading towards the door, refusing to acknowledge how unsteady the world seemed to be right now. She could hear Loki's boots tapping on the floor behind her, but she was too busy focusing on making it out the door to care until she'd entered the hallway that led to the dining hall.

Loki stepped out of the room, closing the door behind him without even bothering to look back. He could hear the sound of murmuring, but less than a moment later the room burst back into lively conversation. He sneered a bit before turning to look at Jane—just in time to feel her punch him in the arm. He raised a brow, looking down at the flushed, slightly unfocused woman with confusion and moderate amusement. "What was that for?"

"You _did_ go in there just to torment me!" she snapped, her fist clenched by her side.

"You're still making ridiculous assumptions, but I suppose I will just blame it on the mead," he replied simply, before walking around her. "Now, apparently I'm to walk you to your room. Are you coming or not?"

"I don't need you to walk me anywhere," she barked, storming past him in as straight of a line as she could manage. _Damn, why did I have to drink so much?_

"That's fine and all, but I still have to walk in that direction to get to my own chambers," he stated, and his suddenly calm demeanor only made Jane angrier with him. She stopped, almost making him run into her. He grunted. "What are you doing?"

"I'll wait."

"Wait? Wait for what?"

"For you to go on ahead. Then you don't have to deal with me, and vice versa."

"You're being needlessly difficult."

"You're one to talk," she retorted, crossing her arms. He walked around her slowly, stopping once he was facing her completely. She stared at his chest, refusing to meet his eyes, and they stood there for a long moment, both silent.

"Someone is going to come along at some point," Loki suddenly said, glancing back at the door, "and then you're going to have to explain what you're doing. Do you really want that?"

"I have nothing to be ashamed of."

"You _did_ practically storm out of a feast with the claim that you were going to bed. What will be said of it if you are located out here with me?"

"Why should I care?" she asked, although the idea of Thor or Sif walking out did make her a little self conscious. It must have shown on her face, because Loki smirked.

"Because you do," he said, turning. "Now come along before we are discovered."

Jane stared after him for a moment before finally huffing, picking up her pace so that she could walk beside him rather than behind. She intended to keep her arms crossed, but found that to be more of a hindrance to her balance than she'd anticipated, and finally let her hands drop to her sides. Loki glanced at her out of the corner of his eye, his smirk still ever present. Jane seethed a little, not impressed with his amusement.

They walked in silence for a while, and Jane focused on the floor in front of her so that she wouldn't trip and fall as they rounded corners and maneuvered hallways. Loki strolled along next to her, his gaze occasionally shifting to look at her discreetly as he mulled over what the little mortal could possibly be thinking right now. She was obviously inebriated, although he would be a liar if he said that the mead hadn't taken a toll on him as well. He hadn't been exaggerating when he'd agreed that the mead was stronger than he had remembered. While he had been attempting to dominate Midgard, he hadn't exactly had time for indulging in alcoholic beverages, so his tolerance had waned some. The fact that he hadn't eaten anything only furthered the effect, but he was glad that he wasn't showing any physical signs of it.

"Did you enjoy venturing outside of the castle?"

Jane stumbled a little at the sudden sound of Loki's voice, and he barely had time to register what he was doing as he reached out and caught her arm so she wouldn't fall. She quickly ripped out of his grip, huffing. "What, are you spying on me now, too?"

"Hardly," he grunted. "I merely saw you from my window earlier this afternoon. Where did you go?"

"We went to some forest," she sighed. "I don't know what it was called, but yes, it was pretty."

"There? Of all the places that they could have taken you in the kingdom, that is where they chose?" he stated, almost as if he were offended. "I assure you that if you found that place to be aesthetically pleasing, you would be shocked at the wonders some of the rest of Asgard has to offer."

"It isn't like it matters," she shrugged, feeling a little bolder in her responses with the alcohol there to assist her. "I won't be here long enough to get to see much more. It's probably for the best, though. I'm starting to miss my home."

"I should imagine. Being cooped up in the castle is hardly what one would call a joyous event."

Jane glanced up at him. "Then why do you stay in here so much? I never really see you out and about, and I doubt it's just because of the people in the halls."

Loki looked down at the woman as though he were assessing her. He sighed after a long moment. "You weren't told, were you?"

Jane frowned. "I wasn't told what?"

"What do you know of my return to Asgard as a prince?"

She stared back ahead of her, thinking for a moment. "I know that you have your standing back, and your magic is restricted."

He hummed thoughtfully. "It doesn't surprise me that that's all you were told. I'm also confined to the walls of the kingdom. I believe that they want me to think it is for my protection, but I'm not so naïve as to fall for such nonsense. They are afraid I will run."

"Would you?" The question was out before Jane could even mull it over. She silently cursed herself, but patiently waited for the answer regardless.

"I don't know," he shrugged. "It would definitely be a consideration, but I haven't given it too much thought considering it's impossible either way."

Jane didn't believe that he hadn't thought about it. She had a feeling it was something he'd probably envisioned more than once, but didn't want to discuss. She sighed, deciding to change the topic. "You never answered me."

"About?"

"About why you recommended those books to me if I couldn't read them."

He smirked secretively. "Take them back to the library. Try to read them there, and then you'll know."

"Wouldn't it be easier to just tell me?"

"That wouldn't be any fun," he scoffed. "Besides, I thought you liked the library. It _is_ why I don't bother to lock it anymore."

Jane's eyes widened and she looked back at him. He appeared as though he'd accidentally said something he shouldn't have, but she ignored it as she pressed on. "You used to lock it behind you?"

"Yes," he stated, keeping his attention focused straight ahead now. "I did. I'd forgotten to the day that you walked in."

"Oh," she murmured, ignoring the clipped tone he was using. "So you just decided not to bother anymore because I went there?"

"Something like that," he replied, turning a corner sharply. Jane followed him, wanting to ask more about it before realizing that she wasn't sure if she _really_ wanted to know the answers to any of the questions popping up in her head. She hummed thoughtfully as they drew nearer to her room, eyeing his profile for a moment. He felt her eyes on him and turned to look at her. "What is it?"

"Why do you do it, Loki?"

He frowned. "I don't follow."

"Why do you jump from one mood to another?" she asked, coming to a halt as she spotted her door a few feet away. She figured that if the alcohol was going to give her some confidence, then she might as well go ahead and use it. "This morning you started out pleasant, but by the end of our conversation you got confrontational and snapped at me. Then, you show up at dinner out of nowhere when you were working so hard to avoid attending, only to be difficult towards me, and now you're back to being almost nice again. I don't understand."

Loki stopped walking, looking down at the woman standing less than a foot away from him. Her face still had a red tint to it, but she didn't appear as unfocused as she had earlier. He assessed her question, debating over how he wanted to answer it. His own inebriation was making the answer come slower to him than he was happy to admit. "I suppose you could say it is merely a trait of mine," he replied thoughtfully. "And I didn't merely attend the feast to be difficult towards you, although it was entertaining."

"Is that so?" she asked, raising a brow at him and crossing her arms. "Then why did you go?"

"Because you were avoiding me, and I knew you would be there," he replied, mirroring her pose just to agitate her. She didn't take the bait.

"I still don't get what the purpose of showing up just because I was there is, even if I was avoiding you—which I'm not saying I was, for the record," she retorted haughtily. "I could have just as easily ignored you the entire time."

He smirked at her, leaning down a bit so he could make better eye contact with her. "First, that is a lie. If you were capable of ignoring me, I have a very distinct feeling that you would have done just that. Instead, you conversed with me the entire time while everyone else ignored us both," he countered, holding out his hand and ticking off his points as he spoke them. "Secondly, I _know_ you were avoiding me, but that doesn't particularly matter, because you're not avoiding me right now."

"Okay, so you did that to make me stop avoiding you. Got it. Why did you stay at the dinner, then?"

He paused thoughtfully, and then shrugged. "Because we were having a discussion, and it's rude to walk out on one."

"I don't know if I would call that a _discussion_," she affirmed. "Especially considering you had my chair held hostage the entire time, which I wouldn't exactly call polite. I'm still not happy with you for that, by the way. What if someone would have seen you pulling me closer to your seat?"

"What if they had?" he questioned, his smirk widening at her. "They wouldn't have interrupted our conversation, and it was the only way to stop you from getting so distracted by what the others thought."

"I wasn't getting distracted."

"You weren't looking at me," he verified, his expression turning a little more serious. "You kept turning away while I was trying to talk to you."

Jane stared at him, an uneasy feeling settling into her stomach. She had a sneaking suspicion that it didn't have anything to do with the contents of it, and more to do with the man standing in front of her. She held her ground, though, despite her sudden urge to fidget. "That really bothers you, huh?"

He didn't break eye contact with her as he straightened, stepping towards her some. "You have _no_ idea."

Jane had to crane her neck to see him fully now. "Why?"

Loki tilted his head thoughtfully. "Because I know you cared too much about what Thor thought above anyone else's opinion."

She frowned at the statement. She didn't know what she'd expected his answer to be, but that wasn't it. "What does that matter, though?"

"He doesn't deserve to have any leeway on what you think or do," he replied, stepping towards her again. Jane unconsciously stepped back some, only to realize that the wall was almost directly behind her now. She stared up at the Trickster Prince, unsure of why her heart had decided to start beating so heavily. Loki stepped forward once more, putting mere inches between them. "You still feel as though you need his approval when you don't."

Jane wasn't sure what he was alluding to, and the roaring of blood in her ears was making any response a lot more difficult to come by. She swallowed, watching the man carefully and forcing her eyes to remain on his instead of drifting further down his face like they seemed determined to do. "I . . . I don't need his approval. I don't think like that."

"Then why is it that he was the one you kept trying to look at during dinner?" he asked, raising a brow at her. She tried to ignore the way his lowered tone sent a shiver straight through her. What was _happening_ to her?

"Habit?" she tried, her brow furrowing. "I'm not sure. I'd had a lot to drink, and I . . . I, uh . . ."

Loki smirked at her as she faltered during her response, but Jane noted that it almost seemed softer this time. She had no idea how to handle this particular mood that Loki appeared to be in, especially because she wasn't sure if he was drunk or not. She could smell the alcohol on his breath still, but it wasn't unpleasant like it usually was with intoxicated people. She looked at his mouth as he parted his lips to speak, before focusing on his eyes again, silently reprimanding herself.

"Yes, I can tell that you've had quite a bit," he chuckled, reaching out and moving a strand of hair out of Jane's face. Her skin tingled where his fingers lightly feathered across it while moving her hair back, and she felt her face start to burn as his hand returned to his personal space. She bit her lip as her heart did a flip and she backed up until she was pressed against the wall, breathing deeply and releasing an awkward laugh. What the _hell_ was going on? "Yeah, um . . . I think we both did . . ."

She trailed off again as he took another step forward, his eyes darkening a little as he looked down at her. Something in his gaze caused her to be unable to continue rambling, and she felt trapped—but not in a bad way. That was what scared her most about this situation; she wasn't even remotely afraid of him. Her breathing became shallow as she stared up at him, her stomach warming again almost uncomfortably. His eyes had trained themselves on her lips, and she found herself leaning away from the wall and towards the man.

Loki slowly bent forward, his own breathing going light in an almost nervous way, his body moving more of its own accord than he was prepared for. He felt her gaze on him, and was surprised when she moved somewhat closer to him. He leaned down further, now only a few inches away from her face, his thoughts completely focused on what her lips would feel like under his—

"What a strange evening, though!" laughed a woman from around the corner, accompanying the sound of several pairs of shoes colliding with the flooring.

Loki and Jane both snapped out of the moment, practically jumping away from each other as three women walked by the hall they currently occupied. Loki, eyes wide, watched as they continued down their own hallway, thankful that they hadn't needed to turn. He breathed a small sigh of relief as they paid him and Jane no mind, lost in their own little world. He recognized them from the feast, and figured they were probably too inebriated to focus on much more than each other.

He turned back to Jane, who was still flushed as she watched after the women. She looked back at Loki as she felt her gaze on him, swallowing hard. "I-I should be going to bed," she stated quickly, ducking her head some. "Thank you for walking me to my room, but I've got it from here."

Loki nodded to her despite the fact that she was avoiding looking at him now. He cleared his throat as well. "Yes, I should be returning to my bedchamber as well . . . I will see you tomorrow," he stated, running a hand through his hair.

"Sure, uh, see you then . . . Good night," she responded awkwardly, before rapidly making her way to her door a few feet down from them.

"Good night," he repeated, watching her as she offered him an uneasy wave from her room before she disappeared inside. He stood in his spot for a long moment, trying to regain some control of himself before going back to his room, unaware that Jane had backed herself up against her door, holding her head in her hands in shock and confusion.

Both of them, despite being still partially drunk and very confused, had one very similar thought.

_What the hell just happened?_

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><p><em>AN: I hope you all enjoyed this chapter, haha! It was fun to write, if not a bit frustrating at times. I try to keep everyone as in-character as possible, so writing drunk people can be a bit of a challenge, especially when they're not really depicted as drunk in general, haha. Anyway, please read and review, as it keeps my muse alive and my motivation up! Thanks!  
><em>


	5. Chapter 5

_A/N:_ Hey, guys! Work got crazy and so did my health for a bit, but I'm back, and I bring you another extra-long chapter to make up for my lack of an update last week! I even added some extra-unexpected stuff for you guys, haha. Please don't forget to read and review! It's helping to keep my motivation up far more than you realize! Thank you to everyone who has done so thus far and to those who have favorited and followed this story!

**Disclaimer:** I do not own Marvel nor any characters herein. This is written for purely entertainment purposes.

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><p>xXxXxXx<p>

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><p>Jane woke up the next morning in a very sour mood—most of which was due to an agitating hangover, and it wasn't even light outside yet. She groaned, rolling onto her side and pulling the blankets over her head in a futile attempt to quell the headache that was pounding through her skull. She sighed. How did the Aesirs make it through life without Aspirin?<p>

She lay in bed for what seemed like forever, and she was finally on the brink of falling back asleep when a sudden noise caught her attention. She grumbled to herself, moving the blankets back once more before listening to see if she would hear the sound again.

_Knock knock_.

Brow furrowed, she sat up, opening her mouth to speak—only to be cut off as the knock sounded again, a tad louder this time. She sighed, wondering why the hell the chambermaids would be up so early.

"It's open," she called hoarsely, brushing her hand along the nightstand until she found some matches, striking one and using it to light the candle that sat atop it. She squinted at the sudden light, before glancing over at the door as it slowly opened.

She didn't know what to say when Loki unexpectedly walked into her room, balancing two plates on his arm and shutting the door behind him with his other hand, which held two cups.

". . . Loki?" she muttered, still trying to wake up. Was she dreaming? "What are you doing here?"

"I come with a peace offering," he replied, holding up one of the plates. "I imagine you probably don't feel particularly well after the mead you consumed last evening."

"You're bringing me food this early?" she asked, rubbing her eyes as he made his way over to her side of the bed. She watched as he nodded, stopping once he was next to her and holding out one of the cups for her to take. "I also brought some tea. It has herbs in it to help your head," he said, setting the plates onto the nightstand. He gestured to the side of the bed, raising a brow. "May I?"

Jane, who was sniffing the tea curiously (it smelled like honey and cinnamon), nodded and scooted over, still not convinced that she wasn't dreaming. She had enough sense about her to be thankful that she'd worn the long nightgown she'd been given, though. She felt Loki sit down next to her, his weight causing her to shift towards him some. His thigh brushed hers through the blanket, and she glanced at him. He was drinking his own tea, so she followed his example. She hummed in contentment. "This is really good."

"I thought you might like it," he replied, before extending his hand towards her. She gave him the cup, only to receive the plate in return. It smelled delicious, and she offered him a sleepy smile before settling in to eat some of it. She got a few bites in before she realized that her headache was already starting to dissipate. Loki's fork clinked against his own plate as he ate, and Jane was moderately amused with just how mellow this situation was. She swallowed her current bite, glancing over at her companion. The lighting wasn't the best, but it was enough for her to see a few lines under his eyes and notice that his hair was messy, although not ridiculously so. She smirked a little. "You're hungover, too, aren't you?"

He scoffed. "Hangovers are for mortals."

Jane rolled her eyes. "So, if I yelled really loudly, it wouldn't affect you at all?"

He cringed, although Jane felt it more than saw it. "You wouldn't dare."

"Only because my head would probably split in half if I tried," she chuckled, poking him in the arm teasingly. "Do you always make food after drinking and sneak into peoples' rooms?"

"No, usually I just eat in the kitchen, if at all," he stated, looking down at his plate. "I just figured you would be in pain, and after the awkward dinner last evening, it was the least I could do."

Jane lifted a brow at him. "So, is this an apology, then?"

"I don't apologize for anything," he smirked. "As I said, this is merely a peace offering."

"How do you manage to be so difficult even this early in the morning?" she asked, although Loki caught the humored tint to it.

"I suppose you could call it a talent."

Jane smiled some, continuing to eat despite her grogginess. The duo ate in silence for a while, and before long they had replaced empty plates with their cups, until those were drained and rested on the side table as well. Loki sighed contently, leaning back against the headboard. Jane scoffed at him. "Get comfortable, why don't you?"

He smirked at her. "Well, if you insist."

Jane watched as the man kicked off his boots and let them drop onto the floor. He shifted, and Jane squeaked a little as he lightly pushed her with his shoulder from the movement. He moved back, and Jane realized that he'd gotten the blankets out from under himself and covered up his legs. His smirk widened at her, and he leaned against the headboard once more. "That was quite generous of you."

"You know, for someone who uses it so much, you certainly don't get sarcasm, do you?"

"Oh, no, I do," he grinned. "But that doesn't mean I pay it any attention when I don't want to."

Jane opened her mouth to retort, but a yawn escaped instead. He chuckled. "Ah yes, that would be a minor downside to the tea—it can make one rather sleepy."

"That, or it's ungodly early in the morning and I have a full stomach."

"I suppose that might be a factor as well," he mused, before glancing over at Jane as she started to move. She scooted down on the bed some before lying down, hiking the blanket up to her neck. Loki quirked a brow at her. "What are you doing?"

"Lying down."

"Obviously," he muttered. "Why?"

Jane, who had closed her eyes, turned her head and cracked one open at him. "Because I'm tired, and you obviously don't have any plans of leaving anytime soon. Besides, I'm still not convinced that you're actually here. I could be dreaming."

Loki smirked down at her. "Are you asking me to leave?"

Jane smiled drowsily, shifting to lie on her side so she could face him. "Dream or real, I doubt you would leave even if I asked you to."

Loki huffed. "Oh dear, you may be on track to figuring me out. We'll have to fix that."

"You're crazy," she grumbled, closing her eyes again. "But that's okay."

"That may be, but I'm beginning to think that you may be as well," he stated, watching her curiously.

"Mhmm . . ."

"Are you falling asleep on me?"

The only response he got was the steady rhythm of Jane's breathing, and he chuckled a bit. She'd _actually_ managed to go to sleep with him sitting right next to her. _Such a trusting little mortal_, he thought, before pausing. Interesting. She had trusted him enough to fall asleep near him.

He didn't really know how to feel about that. He mused thoughtfully for a while, before glancing down as Jane sighed peacefully in her slumber, nuzzling into her pillow. He leaned over and blew out the candle, opting to let the woman sleep.

xXxXxXx

Jane groaned softly as her sleep was slowly being chased away by the need to wake up. She kept her eyes closed, clinging closer to her pillow and burying her face in it, trying to block out the light from the windows. She breathed in, realizing for the first time how good her pillow smelled. Had it always been that way?

As more of her sleep began to fade, she shifted some, only to freeze as she felt what was suspiciously similar to an arm wrap around her, a hand resting on her back. She bit back the urge to scream immediately, and instead opened her eyes slowly, only to discover that she was half sprawled across a well-toned (but green-clad) chest. She gulped, slowly shifting her head until she could see the person's face. Her heart practically stopped beating as she realized that the person she was lying on was none other than Loki. Inhaling sharply, she focused on the rest of her body in an attempt to get a feel for how they were positioned.

Loki was lying on his back, one hand resting on his abdomen while his other arm was underneath Jane, stretched out so his hand still rested on her back. Jane had somehow ended up half-lying on him, one of her legs entwined with his, and the arm that wasn't buried under her was draped across his chest.

Jane released a nervous breath, not even remotely sure of what she was supposed to do in this situation. At least they were both clothed; that was good. Should she wake him? She vaguely remembered him coming into her room with food earlier this morning, but she wasn't sure of a whole lot else. She glanced back up at his face, looking over his features, which were more relaxed than she'd ever seen them. She smiled in spite of herself, running her eyes across his forehead, then down to his eyebrows (which were even for once, instead of infuriatingly quirked!), his eyes, and his perfect eyelashes. Jane smirked some, making a mental note to somehow bring that up to him to see how he'd react. She continued her observation, trailing down his nose, but was distracted by his hair before she could let her eyes wander lower. It was curly again and partially mussed from sleeping.

Narrowing her eyes determinedly at it, she slowly moved her hand, deciding that she wanted to see if it felt as soft as it looked, and she knew that now would probably be her only opportunity. She glanced at his face to make sure that he was still asleep, and once she was satisfied that he was, she reached out fully and ran her hand through a lock of his hair.

_Damn, I think his hair might actually be even softer than mine!_ She huffed at the thought, picking up the lock only to release it a moment later, watching it flop back on top of the rest of his hair. She chuckled softly, amused with herself, before looking at the hair that had made its way onto his face. With confidence she wasn't sure the source of, she slowly moved again before reaching up and cautiously brushing the strands back. She did so meticulously, biting her lip in concentration as she cleared off his pale features. She smiled a little in satisfaction, smoothing it back one last time after it was all cleared away, before looking back down at his face.

Her breath froze in her lungs, along with the rest of her body, as a pair of emerald eyes stared back at her. She gasped, moving to pull her hand back, but before she could get far, Loki's hand shot up and grabbed it. She stared at him, wide-eyed. "I-I'm sorry, I—"

"What are you doing?" he interrupted, quirking a brow at her.

She felt her face turn bright red as her brain flew through every possible response she could give him, but none of them were going to make this situation any less awkward. She swallowed the lump forming in her throat, smiling unsteadily at him. "I was, uh . . . trying to see what the difference between Asgardian hair is in comparison to my own. Scientific theories and all."

Loki's eyebrows rose higher, and Jane felt her heart flutter against her will as she realized that he still hadn't released her hand. He scoffed, drawing her attention back on him. "And what was your deduction?"

It took Jane a moment to realize what he was asking, but thankfully recalled their subject before she could blurt out something idiotic. "I, um . . . I deduced that your hair is very, very soft." _Smooth, Jane. Real smooth._

Loki smirked, slowly—almost calculatingly—releasing Jane's hand. Before she could even try to say anything, his hand had reached out and grabbed a small portion of her hair and was threading his fingers through it. She sucked in a breath, astounded with the situation. "What . . . What are you doing?"

"Comparing theories," he replied smugly. Jane felt her fact begin to heat up and willed it to stop. The _last_ thing she needed to do was give him another reason to taunt her. She had no idea how to respond to his behavior, and had she been lying on anyone else, she probably would have burst out several times by now because of the absurdity of it all.

But this was Loki, and there was no way to tell if she was being set up for some kind of joke or cruel trick.

Loki pulled his hand away from the side of Jane's head, green eyes observing her curiously. "You appear to be quite deep in thought. Is there something on your mind?"

_Yeah, quite a few things, actually, like why you're really here, what the hell is going on, and what you're playing at, exactly. How about that? _"No, just still trying to wake up."

"Ah, I see. Perhaps that would explain your flushed features?" he smirked. "Although, there is something I must wonder about."

Jane, who was fighting off an even fiercer blush, furrowed her brow at the complex man before her. Deciding that she didn't want to bother with the first part of his statement (she doubted she could make any claim that he couldn't twist around, anyway), she focused instead on the second. "What, exactly, is it that you _must_ wonder about, if I may ask?"

If possible, Loki's smirk widened. Jane felt her stomach tighten as his eyes pierced her, and she suddenly found herself wishing that she could retract her question. Loki's hand slid off of her back and her skin prickled beneath her clothing as she felt the contact vanish. He lifted his head off of the pillow some, tilting it as he observed her. After another few moments of deafening silence, he quirked a brow. "Am I really _so_ comfortable that you would prefer to lie on me than your mattress?"

Jane felt as though a switch had been flipped, and suddenly she was once again hyperaware of everything that she'd noticed while he was asleep. Without thinking, she braced her hand on his chest and the other underneath her on the bed, and shoved hard enough to push herself off of him and onto the other side of the mattress. She would have probably been proud of herself, were her heart not hammering in her chest. She cleared her throat, trying to reassemble her thoughts. "I, uh . . . Like I said, I was—_am_ still trying to wake up. My brain just takes a little longer to process things so early in the morning. Especially considering Asgard is severely lacking a decent supply of coffee."

Loki scoffed some, pulling himself up into a sitting position. He glanced over at Jane, who was eyeing him apprehensively. He raised a brow at her, before turning away, shaking his head with a smirk. Jane narrowed her eyes suspiciously at him. "_What_?"

"You just never cease to amuse me with your reactions to the simplest of questions," he stated offhandedly. "They can be quite entertaining."

She huffed, rolling her eyes. "Glad to know I'm at least good for something around here."

Loki turned back to her at her sarcasm, once again lifting a brow at her. Before he could say anything, though, a knock sounded on the door. Both of them glanced over at it in surprise.

"Expecting someone?" Loki muttered quietly, and Jane shook her head, brow furrowing. "No, I'm not."

The knock sounded again, louder this time. "Jane? Jane, may I come in?"

Jane's eyes widened in shock, recognizing the voice. Sif was at her door. _Sif_ was at her door, and _Loki_ was in her room! She glanced at the latter, who appeared miffed. She groaned, feeling the beginnings of a headache coming on. "What do we _do_?" she whispered.

"Why are you asking me? It's _your_ room she's knocking upon," Loki hissed back.

"Because you are _in_ my room, and you're supposedly excellent at tricking people, right? How do we get out of this?!"

Loki huffed. "I cannot solve all of your issues for you."

Jane glared at him as another knock sounded on the door. "Jane?"

"H-hold on a minute. Let me get dressed!" Jane called, trying to think fast. She shoved the blankets back, jumping down off of the bed and quickly moving to the other side of it. Loki watched her curiously, unsure of what she was planning, before flinching some as she practically ripped the blankets off of him. He opened his mouth to speak, but she enclosed her hands around his bicep and tugged before he could get any words out. She pulled again, doing her best to ignore the muscles her hands were gripping. She glared at him as he barely budged. "_Move_!"

"And where exactly am I moving to?" he asked quietly, and Jane groaned, tugging harder. "I swear, Loki, if you do not move I will pull you onto the floor and drag you!"

"I'd like to see you try," he smirked, but relented so that she wouldn't hurt herself in the effort. He got to his feet, and before he could fully steady himself, Jane was already attempting to drag him across the room. Humoring her, he followed, pausing once they reached the door to her bathing room. He raised a brow at her. "Is there something I should know?"

Jane opened the door, and then released his arm to walk behind him, bracing both of her hands on his back and shoving him in the direction of the room. "Just get in there! And don't show yourself until she's gone—better yet, I'll come _get_ you when she's gone, got it?"

Loki glanced at her from over his shoulder, watching her glare into his back as she found it next to impossible to move him. "Scared she'll know I'm in here?"

"Well it sure as hell won't look good on either of us if she catches you in here! Especially if you want your early morning kitchen rendezvous to be kept a secret," she chided, finding it more and more difficult to keep her voice down. She scowled as she gave him one more pointless shove, before stepping back and crossing her arms. "_Please_, Loki?"

He huffed, rolling his eyes as he stepped into the bathing room. He turned to make a comment, but before he could utter a word, the door was shut in his face. He scowled at it, unimpressed with being locked away in such a manner. He flipped the lights on so that he would be able to see, sighing. He looked around, already growing bored with this scenario. He would have preferred to see what Sif's face would have been like if she _had _seen him in Jane's room. Would she feel the need to inform the kingdom of a scandal? Or perhaps she would have taken enough time to hear things through, although he doubted it. When it came down to him, most people didn't take the time to listen.

Still, this wasn't a development he'd thought would happen. He had a feeling he knew exactly why Sif was here, but he would wait to let Jane explain it to him. It would be more entertaining to listen to her stumble over her words in the attempt, considering she seemed to be rather easily flustered when it came to trying to explain herself. He smirked at the thought, glancing at the door.

He hadn't expected this morning to go the way it had. It had been a long shot when he'd woken up and decided that it might not be a bad idea to make some food, and just _happened_ to make enough for Jane to have some as well. He had been mildly surprised when she'd actually woken up and let him into her room, and he'd partially expected to get yelled at for the happenings of the evening prior. When that hadn't happened, he'd gone with his excuse of a peace offering, and the longer they went without mentioning what had happened in the hallway, the more confident he was that she didn't remember.

He found that, once again, he honestly didn't know how he felt about something involving the little mortal woman, or even how he _should_ feel. He chalked it up to debate on later as he heard muffled voices on the other side of the door. A moment of contemplation helped him decide that he wasn't in the mood for eavesdropping right now, and he turned to look around the bathing room again (it was significantly smaller than his own, he noted), a mischievous smirk spreading across his features as an idea struck him.

xXxXxXx

Jane had been proud of her foresight—which, of course, meant that she'd spotted the dishes next to her bed just before she could open the door (it was locked thanks to Loki, and she was briefly relieved), and had quickly shoved them under her bed far enough that she hoped Sif wouldn't see them. So, when she finally opened the door, she offered Sif her best Hopefully-Not-Strained-But-Looking-Sleepy smile. "Hi."

"Good morning," Sif smiled back. Despite the kind return, though, her eyes seemed to shine with what Jane thought might be concern. "I apologize for waking you. How are you feeling?"

"Oh, no, it's fine." Jane waved her off. "And I'm feeling pretty good, actually, just sleepy."

Sif's eyebrows rose in surprise, but she chuckled a moment later. "That's impressive, I'll give you that. You hold your mead well," she smiled, before gesturing to the room. "Might I come in? I have something I wish to ask you about, but it would best be done in private."

Jane nodded, ignoring the apprehension rising in her gut. She prayed that Loki was feeling particularly obedient this morning. "Yes, of course."

Moving aside, she shut the door behind Sif before following her over to the bed. They sat on the mattress, and Sif released a deep sigh. "I suppose there is no beating around the subject, so I will go ahead and ask. Was everything alright last evening?"

Jane stared at her in confusion. "What do you mean?"

"Well, to begin with, I could sense a lot of tension between you and Loki," she frowned. "I had a feeling that there was more to it than just him sitting next to you at the feast. I was shocked he even joined us, and I just wanted to ensure that you were safe—especially since he was so quick to offer himself up to escorting you to your bedchambers. I've never seen nor heard of him doing such a thing, and so I came to make sure that he hadn't attempted anything."

Jane stared at her again for a long moment, contemplating a response. On one hand, she wanted to ask her why she hadn't followed them out if she'd been _so_ concerned, while the other part of her wanted to defend Loki, although she wasn't sure why. He hadn't tried anything funny that she recalled—the memory of the evening prior was still fuzzy from the alcohol—unless bringing a miracle hangover cure and crashing in her room counted.

In reality, it probably _did_, but she wasn't counting it as a strike since they'd both been dressed.

"No, he was a gentleman—well, as much a gentleman as his snarky, sarcastic self _can_ be," she smirked. "We just talked some, then I went to my room and he went to his."

Sif nodded to her, something like suspicion on her face as she opened her mouth to respond. Before she could get any words out, however, the sound of steadily pouring water emerged from the bathing room. Both women's eyes flew to the door, and Jane thought her heart might explode. What was he _doing_?!

"Is . . . Everything all right in there?" Sif asked, turning to look at Jane in confusion. The latter offered her a tight-lipped smile as her brain shot into overdrive.

"Oh, yeah. I was hoping a bath was going to help wake me up this morning, so I, uh, tried starting the water. The faucet was acting up, though, which is why I didn't hear you at first when you knocked," she said, her smile becoming more relaxed as she spoke. At least this was semi-believable. "I was trying to get it to work. Sounds like it's finally kicked on!"

Sif nodded, although her expression was far from believing. "Do you want me to take a look at it?"

"Oh, no, don't worry about it," Jane laughed nervously. "It's nothing that can't wait, especially now that it's working. It would be pointless to have to drain the tub."

"Yes, I suppose that's true," Sif agreed, before getting to her feet. Jane followed suit as the woman continued, "I'll be sure to mention to one of the servants to have it looked at so you won't have an issue with it anymore."

Jane smiled at her. "That would be great, thanks. Well, I should probably go check and make sure the tub doesn't overflow."

"Oh yes, of course," Sif nodded, before turning. She walked over to the door and Jane followed. Sif opened it, before pausing. She glanced over at Jane, frowning a little. "I apologize if I might have sounded crass earlier, Jane. I just . . . I want to be sure that you're alright, and I know that things, especially when they involve Loki, can be difficult at times."

Jane smiled at her, shaking her head. "I think I can hold my own just fine with him right now, you don't have to worry. I promise I'll let you know if that changes, but until then, just focus on your wedding."

Sif chuckled a little, making her way through the door and offering Jane a smile. "I will. Feel free to seek me out later on if you find yourself restless. I'll be around working on some menial things for the wedding, so I will more than likely be happy with the distraction."

"I'll keep that in mind," Jane replied, before nodding a goodbye and shutting the door, taking in a deep breath as she heard Sif's receding footsteps. She sighed in relief, resting her head against the wood for a moment before a realization hit her.

The water had stopped running.

Narrowing her eyes suspiciously, Jane stalked towards the bathroom door, glaring at the offending structure the entire way. Gripping the door handle, her brain shot through all of the different ways she was going to cuss Loki out. He'd almost gotten himself revealed! Just how reckless was he trying to be? She turned the handle angrily, steeling her resolve, and finally flung the door open, hand raised to start her point, only to falter at the sight before her.

Loki was sitting in the tub of steaming water, and Jane was suddenly thankful for her height, because she could see nothing below what was above the water—but it was enough. He was naked, she could tell that much, and her eyes glanced wet hair, a _very_ well toned chest and abs, and a lot more pale skin than she had ever anticipated seeing.

With a _severely_ undignified squeak-like noise, Jane spun on her heel, but not before catching the infuriating smirk on the Trickster God's face. Drawing in a deep breath and doing her best to steel herself again despite a beet-red face, she clenched her fists at her side, refusing to turn around.

"What are you _doing_, Loki?!"

"I thought it would be obvious," he drawled, his tone showing his amusement without fail. "I happen to be bathing. I grew quite bored while you were in there speaking, you see. What did Sif want?"

"I'm not discussing anything to do with Sif until you put some damn clothes on!" Jane growled, trying to ignore how hot her face was continually growing. "Were you _trying_ to get caught?! You just turned the water on out of nowhere!"

"I wasn't caught, however, so you clearly must have taken care of it," he smirked, and Jane tightened her fists as she heard water shifting. She swallowed hard, doing her best not to imagine anything that was going on behind her. She clenched her teeth. "That may be _so_, but you still didn't have to make it so difficult! Do you not ever _think_?! What if I hadn't been able to come up with something?"

Loki chuckled, and Jane was finding staying where she was to be very difficult. He was doing this on purpose. There was no way that he wasn't, and she had a feeling that he knew she was aware of this. It still didn't mean that he would do anything to fix it; it probably just meant that he was going to be a pain in the ass about it.

"I _think_ quite a bit, actually. More than most of the people on Asgard, if we're being truthful," he stated offhandedly. "Not that that is very surprising. Besides, I had faith in yo—oh dear, I seem to be out of fresh clothing."

Jane's face was on fire, she just knew it. "Well, you should have thought about that _before_ you decided it was a good idea to violate my bathtub, Mr. Know-It-All."

She could practically feel the curious look on his face at her insult. He huffed. "Perhaps I should go to my room and get some new clothing."

"Yeah, going back to your room sounds like a fantastic idea," she grumbled. "You should do that."

"If you _insist_," he stated, and something about his smug tone sent alarm bells off in Jane's head. Taking another deep breath, she prepared herself and spun, freezing at the sight of him in nothing but a towel. She felt as though her eyes had practically bugged out of her head, but she did everything she could to focus on his face and _not_ the hard abs being presented to her. "What are you doing now, you narcissistic psychopath!?"

He raised a brow at her. "I was going to get new clothes. You didn't expect me to just go in my dirty ones, did you?"

Jane glared at him. "Um, _yes_, actually, I did! It's not my fault that you decided taking a bath without clean clothes to change into was a good idea, and you will not make me suffer for it, damn it!"

Loki stared at her for a long moment and she felt her rage boiling. He smirked, and she scoffed. She lifted her chin, crossing her arms. "You think you're really going to walk out of here in nothing but a towel after I just convinced Sif that you didn't try anything funny last night? I think not."

He tucked away the first bit of information for perusal at a later date. For now, he was having far too much fun making her uncomfortable. He crossed his arms, mimicking her position, and watched as she fought the urge to let her eyes drift lower. He wasn't shy, and watching her reactions towards him was entertaining him far more than he was letting on. "Do you believe that you can stop me, Ms. Foster?"

She had to ignore the fact that he was picking on her using terms that were familiar to her (Lady Jane wasn't something she thought she'd ever get used to), and she did so by darkening her glare at him. "I do."

His eyebrows shot to his hairline. "Oh? And how is that?"

This time, Jane smirked. She backed up a little, unraveling her arms and placing them on her hips once she'd reached the doorframe. "Well, Mr. Prince, since you seem to be so determined to lounge about in a towel instead of your dirty clothes—which I'm sure are just _filthy_ considering how much you've used them since this morning—I will let you do so. Just, not anywhere except for in the bathroom. Let me know when you've decided that the clothes are fine, will you?"

With that, she shut the door quickly, snickering to herself as she reached for the lock to trap him in the room. She froze as she found the handle to be smooth and groaned, resting her head against the door. _Of course. Who puts a lock on the outside of the door? Brilliant, Jane, just brilliant._

After a moment, the door gave way under her forehead and she found herself staring down at a pair of sock-covered feet. Brow furrowed, she focused on them, huffing. "Come to gloat already?"

"Well, there weren't very many places to go, otherwise," he stated, and she hated how she could _hear_ the smirk in his voice. "I _am_ dressed, just so you are aware."

Jane thought very seriously about not trusting him, but against her better judgment, she looked up at him. Breathing a sigh of relief, she found that he was actually telling her the truth. She leaned back so she could see him better. "Are you _quite_ done being an ass, Loki? Or is there more waiting for me around the corner that I'm not aware of?"

"Well," he stated thoughtfully, and Jane couldn't help but roll her eyes. "I suppose that you'll have to wait and find out. Do you think you could put off attempting to lock me in rooms from the wrong side long enough to do that?"

Jane fought the smile that tugged at her lips, masking it with a sigh. "Can you _not_ try to cause me to have a heart attack before I'm forty?"

Loki raised a brow at her. "I suppose I could_ try_."

"Then I'll _try_ not to lock you in a room from the _right_ side next time," she jabbed. He smirked down at her.

"Good. I have a few things I thought of while I was waiting for you to get rid of our unexpected visitor, so if you feel like testing my honesty on the matter, would you care to join me on a stroll?"

Jane eyed him skeptically for a moment, shifting her weight to one side as she crossed her arms. "Would you trust yourself if you were me?"

He grinned, and Jane couldn't decide if it was sinister or not. "What do you think?"

Rolling her eyes again, she spun on her heel and began stalking towards the door. "Where are we going?"

"Well, first you're going to change, as I doubt you wish to walk around in your evening clothes."

Jane froze, looking down at her attire. She felt her face flush in embarrassment, and she coughed. "Oh, right."

She wandered to one of the dressers and gathered one of the more casual dresses that she was given, gesturing to the room. "I'm going to change in the bathing room so you can just wait here."

He nodded, wandering over to the bed as she made her way into the bathroom to change, shutting the door and locking it in case he got any bright ideas. She sighed, looking at the tub and rubbing her temple. Why was he such a pretentious jerk all the time? She changed out of her nightclothes and into the new outfit before making her way to the mirror to try and make something out of her hair, which was a wreck. She reached for the brush and was stopped as a knock sounded on the bathroom door. She glanced at it. "What?"

"I'm going to go to my room to change. Wait here for me when you're finished and I will come get you, alright?"

"Oh, sure," she called back, shrugging as she turned to the mirror once more. At least this way she'd have a little more time, she figured, running the brush through her hair. She hummed softly to herself, mulling through the events that had transpired in such a short amount of time. She ignored the way her face began to turn red as she turned back to the bathtub, but she froze as her eyes landed on something she hadn't noticed before.

On the side of the tub sat a dark towel that was absolutely drenched. She stared at it for a long moment in confusion, before realization dawned on her and she smirked. _That jerk was never fully without cover in the water . . . I guess he isn't as haughty as he wants me to think,_ she thought, amused with herself. It still didn't make the situation earlier any less weird—especially considering she'd probably never forget the hip-lines she'd glimpsed, damn him—but it was still something to keep in mind. She kicked at the towel that he'd left on the floor before walking back into her room and collapsing on the bed, closing her eyes. She laid there, relaxing for a moment, before a few things from the night prior began to resurface in her mind. She smirked to herself at the memory of punching Loki in the arm, then their walk that had started off awkward and mean, and ended up in a nice conversation, and then . . .

Jane shot up on the bed, wide-eyed and clasping her head. _There's no way that really happened!_

Loki most definitely hadn't tried to kiss her the night before, right? And she _definitely_ hadn't been about to let him, because that was absolutely unlike her. No, her brain was just poking fun at her, because people like Loki and her didn't just do things that made no sense.

Things like showing up in the middle of the night with food, or like pretending to be fully naked in a tub just to get a rise out of her.

She groaned, grabbing a pillow and burying her face in it. At least, if the almost-kiss _was_ real—she still wasn't convinced—she could blame the alcohol! What did she blame everything else on? She dug her nails into the other side of the pillow, trying to force herself to think straight. Loki was probably just teasing her because he had nothing better to do, that was just how it was. He was a prisoner in the castle and she was his current source of entertainment. There was nothing so unusual about that, and obviously it didn't take a whole lot to get a rise out of her, so he was just having fun.

Jane's stomach did a strange, almost painful flip at the thought, and she frowned. What the hell was going _on_?

She removed the pillow as her body reminded her that she needed to breathe, and she stared up at the ceiling. Why did the almost-kiss bother her so much? It wasn't as though it would have meant anything, anyway. Not to her, or to Loki, right? Right, she told herself. She knew better than to play this game, so she was going to have to tread carefully. Over thinking anything would be dangerous when it came to him, because she knew _he_ was dangerous. He didn't get his title for nothing, and his constant mood changes were only proof of the matter. He liked playing games, and she was merely the newest one.

She was going to have to be more careful when it came to participating. She was letting him get her too riled up, and he wasn't even in the same _room_ as her right now.

Clenching her jaw, she sat up, running a hand through her hair. She had a feeling it was probably messy again, but right now that was the least of her concerns. She sighed, nodding to herself. "Yeah, I can do this. Nothing gets weird between us as long as we're not drinking . . . and I don't leave him alone in my bathroom. Yep, no problem at all."

A knock at the door pulled her out of her quiet pep-talk, and she looked at it as a voice spoke from the other side. "Are you ready?"

_No, not really. I still need a lot of time to figure stuff out because you're infuriatingly difficult to understand!_

"Yeah, I'm coming, hold on."

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><p><em>AN: There you go! Lots of fluffy moments, and of course Loki being his jerkish self, haha. This was so much fun to write, but was also a huge pain! Geez! It's also ridiculously late for this early-morning worker right now, so I apologize for any typos or otherwise I may have missed._

_How will things go now that Jane remembers everything that happened? Is Loki up to something with this latest bout of unusual behavior? Does Sif believe Jane? Let me know what you guys think will happen! I love reading your theories, haha!_

_Please read and review!_


	6. Chapter 6

_A/N:_ Hey guys, it's me again! I've been trying to update in a timely fashion, but work and life stresses keep getting in the way, so hopefully the updates are worth it! Thank you SO much for all of the reviews! They mean so much to me and they really do keep me motivated. I love reading what you guys think is going to happen, so please review! I'm going to try to start responding to them, too, and if I can answer a question without giving too much away, I will, haha. Anyway, let me know what you think!

**Disclaimer:**I do not own Marvel nor any characters herein. This story is written for purely entertainment purposes.

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><p>xXxXxXx<p>

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><p>Jane opened the door for her "guest-slash-escort", and was greeted to the sight of him in a simple (but still somehow elegant, she noted) green tunic, black trousers, and black boots. He had slicked his hair back again, and he was eyeing her with mild amusement on his face. Before she could stop herself, she pointed at his shirt. "Is green the only color you own?"<p>

Looking moderately taken aback, he glanced down at his attire. He frowned a little. "No, I have some gold and black as well. A few others scattered about, too; green just happens to be my preferred color. Why do you ask?"

"Oh," Jane muttered thoughtfully. "I was just wondering."

Loki offered her a perplexed look before stepping back from the doorway to give her some room. "Very well, then. Shall we?"

"Sure," she nodded, stepping out and closing the door behind her. She turned back to him, and her brow furrowed. He looked like he had something he wanted to say, and she knew it wasn't like him not to just state it bluntly (with some snide remark intertwined with it, of course). Trying to ignore the way her brain yelled that this was how things with Thor had gone bad, she cleared her throat. "Is everything okay?"

Pursing his lips thoughtfully, Loki nodded. He brought his hand to his face, resting his thumb under his chin and his forefinger beneath his lower lip as he assessed Jane for a moment. "I have a question."

Jane forced herself to look into his eyes, but the way he was staring at her was making her heart flutter uncomfortably. "What is it?"

"Where I want to take you involves walking throughout the castle," he stated, his tone nearly solemn. "Are you going to be fine with that?"

_Are you going to be fine with being seen walking with me?_ Jane heard the unspoken question loud and clear, and for a moment, she wasn't sure how to respond. He was watching her like a hawk, and so she smiled at him, chuckling softly as she replied with the first thing that popped into her head.

"As long as you don't mind being seen with the 'little mortal that doesn't belong here' in public, then yes, I'm fine with it."

Something flashed in Loki's eyes, but it was gone before Jane could even try to guess what it had been. He turned, nodding. "I suppose I can make that sacrifice for the greater purpose of our day. Now, let us go before we lose all daylight."

Jane smiled, walking quickly to catch up to him as he began his stride, then fell into step beside him, not commenting when she realized that he'd slowed down for her. She glanced over at him, almost daring to believe that he looked slightly more relaxed in his posture now.

xXxXxXx

Sif smiled at her fiancé as he strode into her bedchamber, closing the door behind him. She had her own room within the castle now, but it would only be until after the wedding; once that was over, she would be sharing chambers with Thor. Her smile widened at the thought as she set aside some papers she was sorting through, looking up at her husband-to-be once more. Her smile faded some as she realized that he didn't look as happy as he typically did when visiting her. "Is everything alright, Thor?"

He offered her a half-hearted smile. "Yes, I am well. I was just coming back from training with Hogun. I stopped by Loki's room on my way."

Ah, there it was. Thor always became more reserved when Loki was the subject. Sif suppressed a sigh, wanting to be supportive of him. "How did it go? Was he receptive?"

Sighing, Thor shook his head and walked over to take a seat beside her, and she scooted over to give him room. "He would not even answer the door. I don't know if he was actually in the room, to be honest, but I don't believe it matters any longer. He just doesn't seem to want to speak to me."

Sif reached over to rest her hand on Thor's arm. "I know how much this means to you, Thor. You shouldn't give up, he may come around yet."

Thor nodded to her. "I truly hope he will. I thought that perhaps his appearance at the feast last night had signified a change in him. I don't understand why he would have come if he didn't want to speak with anyone."

"Maybe he was just seeing how everyone would react to his arrival," she suggested.

"That does sound like something he would do," Thor said, chuckling some. "Do you think he will return to any of the feasts? No one spoke ill of him. They know better."

Sif smiled some. "He may very well continue attending. You still have plenty of time before the wedding, so don't trouble yourself too much on the matter, all right? I personally believe that we may see more of him yet." _Although my instincts tell me that _we_ may not be the reason why. I'll definitely have to investigate further before I tell you, though._

Thor smiled down at Sif, her words clearly bringing some comfort to the man. He leaned down, offering her a loving kiss that she happily welcomed. Once he pulled away, he smiled at her again. "Thank you, Sif. I don't know what I would do without you."

She put on a thoughtful expression before smiling coyly at him. "You would probably have been killed on the battlefield by now."

Thor burst out into an uproarious laughter, and Sif laughed along with him, happy to see some of his joy returning.

Now she just needed to see if there was anything she could do to help with his brotherly situation. _That_ was going to be tricky.

xXxXxXx

"So, I'm going to assume that, because you keep staring out the windows every time that we pass one, you've never wandered very far in the castle before."

Jane rolled her eyes at Loki's smug tone. "No, I can't say that I have. I didn't want to get lost. Besides, it's always more fun to explore with company."

Lifting a brow at her, Loki smirked. "That doesn't sound right coming from you. I thought your Midgardian _scientists_ were supposed to be all for exploration of the unknown."

Jane laughed some. "Okay, so maybe it has something to do with being scared that I will wander in somewhere that I'm not supposed to be, too. Normally that wouldn't faze me, but your dad is kind of scary."

Loki bit back his habitual "_he's not my father!_" retort. He wasn't in the mood to deal with all of the questions that it would raise, so he merely nodded to her. "I believe that Odin scares most beings, so you can have a pass."

"Let me guess—you're not one of those "beings" that are scared of him, are you?"

Loki smirked. "As much as I appreciate the vote of confidence, I would be lying if I said he had not significantly intimidated me in my youth."

"You say that as though you've never lied."

Loki feigned hurt. "Me? Tell an untruth? Just who do you think you are speaking to?"

Jane smirked coyly at him. "Unless I am mistaken, his name is Loki."

"Well, your eyesight and memory aren't failing," he taunted, "but contrary to popular belief, it _is_ possible for me to be honest about things. I only lie when it is necessary."

She rolled her eyes. "You are _such_ a drama king."

Loki's own smirk returned as he peered down at her. "Well, if that is the case, I would say that I am a worthy king." He suppressed the thoughts of irony at his statement as he waited to see her response.

It took Jane a moment to realize what he was saying, but once she did, she couldn't suppress a giggle. "Most people wouldn't consider that to be a compliment, you know."

He hummed, pressing a finger to his lips thoughtfully. "I suppose I will have to quote _you_ this time around."

Jane's brow furrowed at the comment. "What do you mean?"

He smiled mischievously, glancing down his nose at her. "I believe that you once stated that it was "good that you are not most people". This was, of course, preceding an attempt at doing something that would have ended up with your face becoming intimate with the floor, had I not intervened and caught you."

Jane felt her face growing an unnatural shade of red and quickly looked away from him. "I don't know what you're talking about. That doesn't sound like me at all."

"Now who is telling lies?" he snickered down at her.

Jane stuck her tongue out at him, not caring how childish the action was, before quickly becoming distracted as she realized they were approaching a set of double doors. She looked at her companion in confusion. "Where does this lead to?"

"Outside."

"I thought you weren't allowed out of the castle?" She hated to bring up his punishment, but she also didn't want to have him risk getting in trouble for her sake. The thought of him doing so unsettled her.

"Ah, you misunderstood me, then," he stated, coming to a halt as they reached the doors. "I'm 'allowed' to exit the castle itself as I please, I'm just not permitted to leave the castle grounds. Odin knows I would not stand for being stuck inside the castle for eternity."

She wanted to ask him what he would have done if that had been the case, but she didn't want to risk ruining the good mood that he seemed to be in. He was plenty capable of doing that himself, and she huffed at the thought.

"Is my ability to go outside unsatisfactory for you?" Loki asked, raising a brow condescendingly at her. Jane shot him a confused look before chuckling some, realizing how she must have come across to him.

"No, I just got lost in thought."

"About?"

She grinned at him. "Just some infuriating anomalies in my life. Nothing that can't be contemplated later. Let's go outside, shall we?"

Loki narrowed his eyes at her suspiciously, but she merely softened her grin into an innocent smile. He grunted, turning back towards the doors and grabbing one of the handles. Jane walked up to him as he went to open it, but was stopped short as a hand suddenly appeared in her immediate vision. Eyes wide, she peered around Loki's outstretched hand. "What's wrong?"

"Nothing," he stated, and his eyes suddenly lit up with what Jane hoped was excitement. "Have you only been outside the time you went horseback riding?"

Brow furrowed, but nodding, "Yes, even though I'm still not convinced you aren't some stalker for knowing about that. Why?"

"I've never had the opportunity to take someone out to see the castle grounds that has never gazed upon them before. It's a fascinating experience."

"For you and me both," Jane smiled. A thought hit her suddenly, and the smile faltered. "Although, I guess I _did_ technically go outside when we left to go to Svart . . . Svartal—"

"Svartalfheim," Loki supplied, before waving his hand dismissively. "That doesn't count, regardless. Your mind was tainted with the Aether—quite heavily so—and so your memories of what you saw won't be very good. You have an opportunity to create new memories, so don't sully them with thoughts of what you cannot change."

Jane stared at him for a long moment, not missing his subtle, uncomfortable shifting under her gaze, before smiling up at him. "Sounds good to me. Can we go outside now? I'm even more excited now that I know this isn't just going to be a first for me."

Loki turned back to the door to hide an amused smirk, nodding, before pulling on the handle and opening it. He stood back, gesturing for Jane to go on ahead, trying to ignore how strange it felt to be opening the door for someone instead of the other way around. Fighting a sudden, unexpected nervousness, Jane made her way through the doorway. It took a moment for her eyes to adjust to the brightness of the outside world, but once that had passed she looked out at the scenery in front of her.

She drew in a sharp breath, eyes scanning the beautiful, golden structures that almost appeared to glow in the morning sunlight. Courtiers and servants were scattered about a courtyard-like area, although she was pretty sure they were nowhere near the front of the castle. Even the wall around their current location was anything but stifling. Some sort of bird flew overhead, drawing her attention upwards, and she noticed that the sky from outside was much prettier than from her window. It was a bright shade of blue that she couldn't even try to name, as sky-blue gave it no justice.

"What do you think of the view?"

Jane jumped a little from the sudden sound of Loki's voice, but she couldn't tear her eyes away from what was in front of her. "It's beautiful."

"Yes, it is. Would you mind moving so that I might go outside as well? I'm not particularly fond of standing in a doorway."

Jane's eyes widened and she pulled her gaze away to turn back to Loki, who, sure enough, stood in the opening. His eyebrow was lifted curiously at her, and she quickly nodded and stepped out of the way for him, an almost sheepish expression on her face. Loki shut the door behind him as he moved to stand beside her. Not for the first time, Jane was reminded of the significant height difference between them. She watched him as he examined the scenery before them, and as a thought struck her, a giggle escaped her lips before she could stop it. Startled by the unexpected noise, Loki shot a suspicious look at her.

"What are you laughing at?"

Jane quickly covered her mouth, but the motion and his expression only made her laugh harder. Loki stared at her for a long moment, his face growing more irritated the more she neglected to answer him. He scowled. "Speak, _woman_, or I will find a way to make it so that you cannot altogether, magic restraints notwithstanding."

His stern tone caused her to pause for a moment, and Loki was almost satisfied with rendering her soundless—at least before she broke out into hysterics. Scowl darkening, he shot a look around them to examine the area. A few of the courtiers and attendants had stopped in confusion and bafflement, but a quick moment of hateful eye-contact with them had them scurrying on their way again. At least, he thought for a brief moment, he was still frightening without his magic. He turned to glare down at Jane, growing more irritated when even _that_ had no effect on her.

"In the name of _Valhalla_, what could you _possibly _find so humorous that you cannot provide an audible response?!"

Jane was pretty sure that Loki would have thrown his hands up in the air in exasperation, had he not been a master of self-control. The thought made her want to giggle even more, but she forced herself to calm down some, shaking her head. "You're just so _pale_."

Loki's face went blank, although whether it was out of confusion or lack of amusement, Jane wasn't sure. "You were laughing as though your mind had cracked because of my _complexion_?"

"No! Well, yes. Sort of," she muttered, pursing her lips in confusion. After a moment, she seemed to have gathered her thoughts and looked back up at him, smiling. "You're tall, dark, and pale. You wear dark colors, and you're usually walking around early in the morning or later in the evening. It reminds me of a vampire, and I just started piecing all of your behavior together with one. Even the way you talk sounds like you'd make a good vamp."

Loki's expression spoke of extreme confusion, as well as some pretty serious aggravation. He didn't like it when he didn't understand something, especially when he was pretty positive he was being mocked. Jane stared at him for a few stretched moments, before finally emitting a huff. "You have no clue what a vampire is, do you?"

The dark haired man's frown deepened. "No."

"See, this is one of those times when an internet connection would be useful. You all should really look into getting service, and then I could show you what a vampire is. Or, at least, what we think they are. They're actually more of a myth, but then again, so you were you guy—I'm rambling, sorry," she stated, emitting a nervous laugh. She'd hoped her attempted joke would at least break some of the tension.

Loki, whose eyebrows had steadily climbed during her little speech, nodded slowly. It was more than obvious to Jane that she was being made fun off, and she scoffed at him. "_What_?"

A smirk slowly crept across his face. "I'm just not certain of which part of your few statements is the most absurd to me. There is quite a bit of potential for torment there."

Jane rolled her eyes at him. "You're ridiculously impossible, you know that?"

"Hmm," he hummed thoughtfully, as though he were truly thinking hard on the matter. "It may have been mentioned to me a time or two, now that I'm reminded of the matter."

Smiling in spite of herself, Jane turned to look back out at the scenery she was still in awe of. Most of the people that had been outside just a few minutes prior had appeared to have vanished. She frowned in confusion for a moment, but it was gone as she caught sight of one of the gardens. She smiled brightly with excitement. "This place is so beautiful."

Having been watching for her reaction to everyone vanishing, Loki was surprised when she didn't even mention it. He almost wanted to ask her why that was, but forced himself to focus on her actual words instead so that he wouldn't appear to be ignoring her. He nodded. "It can be, I agree. Would you like to look around?"

Jane looked up at him with what he thought was hope in her eyes. It caught him off guard for a moment; he couldn't remember the last time that someone had looked at him with genuine hope. His mother? Thor?

"Could we? I mean, I don't want to stop you from being able to show me what you'd wanted to. That's why we originally came out here, after all, but if we have some time . . ?"

"Well, considering the fact that the reason I brought you along for a stroll was so that you'd get to see more of the castle, you're welcome to look around as you please," he stated, forcing his tone to remain even. Something about the way she was looking at him was making him uncomfortable, and he turned to look out at the courtyard to escape her gaze. He could still feel her watching him, however, and sought to divert her attention. "Was there somewhere that you wanted to see first?"

Jane tore her eyes away from him, smiling some to herself. "Could we look at the garden?"

Loki found himself smirking. This woman, a studier of the stars, as he recalled, wanted to look at flowers; something almost as close to the ground as one could get. He wasn't sure why the irony amused him as much as it did, but he nodded to her and began to walk in the direction of the garden's opening. He consciously slowed his pace, allowing her to walk beside him, and even that he found to be strange, although not for the first time since he'd begun doing so. When was the last time he had willingly allowed someone to walk _with_ him, rather than forcing them to _follow_ him?

He knew the answer was in shackles on Midgard, planning to release a certain green beast on unsuspecting mortals, but he quickly shoved the thought from his mind. Nothing of his endeavor on Midgard brought about fond memories, especially when they involved the one who had relentlessly slammed him into solid ground. He breathed in deeply through his nose, exhaling slowly. He wasn't comfortable with this much introspection in such a short amount of time.

"Are you okay?"

Snapping out of his reverie, he turned to look down at Jane, and once again found himself looking into earnest eyes. He quickly turned his focus back on the formal entrance to the garden, trying to keep his tone as even as possible. Why was this becoming so difficult around this little mortal?

"Yes, I'm well," he stated, before gesturing to the vine-covered trellis that marked the opening to the multi-colored bushes of flowers in front of them. "Go ahead."

Jane's brow furrowed just for a moment, but once she turned to look at the flowers, she smiled again. She walked under the archway, admiring the intricate placing of the vines, which had small white flowers growing along them. As she reached the other side, she noticed that the temperature seemed to be a little warmer now, and she glanced back at Loki as he stepped fully into the garden as well. "Is it warmer in here?"

Loki lifted a brow at her, and Jane could have almost sworn that he looked impressed. "Yes, it is. There is magic in place for all of the gardens in the grounds of the castle, regulating the temperature so that the flowers are capable of growing regardless of the weather. This time of year, however, it's more difficult to notice, as the temperatures are similar. Not many would have noticed."

Jane beamed at him. "I'm glad I did, then. That's incredible. I didn't realize magic could be used in such a way," she said, feeling a lot like a kid in a candy store. "So, then, this place is almost like a greenhouse without the glass panes. It's definitely more aesthetically pleasing!"

Loki felt his own brow furrow a bit at the reference, but he understood well enough what she was getting at. He focused more on the first part of her statement. "Did you assume that magic is just used for fighting?"

"Well, no," Jane replied thoughtfully. "You _have_ mentioned it some, in a roundabout way, that it has other uses. Like cooking and climbing on top of bookcases."

Loki scoffed some, shaking his head. "Of course that would be what you recall."

Jane grinned at him before turning back to look at the flowers, glad to see him cheering up a little. He'd worried her some a few minutes ago; he'd looked as though he was on the brink of another one of his random mood swings, and his eyes had been distant. Hopefully she'd been able to cut that off, and admitted that she'd be proud if she actually had.

She ran her fingers slowly and softly over the petals of some of the flowers, comparing a few of them to ones found on Earth if they looked similar enough. Part of her wanted to know what they were called, but another part of her argued that she should just enjoy the moment, and that she didn't always have to know everything. So, she bit back her questions and just examined.

The garden was beautiful, and not a single part of her could deny it. The bright whites, blues, pinks, and purples were absolutely breathtaking, and there were so many other colors she wasn't sure she'd ever seen before. She smiled to herself, wondering why she hadn't tried to explore more sooner if things like this could be found. She leaned down to sniff at one of the pink flowers, only to lean back and sneeze lightly in response.

She snapped her head to the side as she heard a light snicker, but Loki was examining a flower closely. Too close, actually. She glared at him. "Something funny?"

He looked up from the flower with the fakest expression of innocence she'd ever seen. "Hmm? Whatever do you mean?"

Jane rolled her eyes, smirking. "You're an idiot."

"I do believe you're thinking of someone else within the castle," he stated, frowning some. "Do you need to be escorted to the healers? Your mind is clearly failing you."

She was pretty sure she knew exactly who he was referring to, but she didn't feel like speaking his name to confirm it. She placed a hand on her head, frowning. "Now that you mention it, I do feel a little faint . . ."

Loki's brow furrowed as he looked at her, and he took a hesitant step forward. Jane could tell he didn't quite believe her, so she tilted her head down to suppress any giggles that might escape, covering her face more fully in the process. He cleared his throat some. "You don't look ill . . ."

Jane smirked, peeking up at him. "I think there's just too much ego in here, and it's making it stuffy and hard to breathe. Seriously, even the flowers might die from the weight of it."

Loki's face went blank again, and Jane snickered in response. He really was pretty entertaining to mess with, she decided. He looked back at the flowers. "I think they're more likely to die from your awful sense of humor."

Jane shook her head, refraining from her retort (if for nothing more than the fact that he almost _absolutely_ had three comebacks already set up for it), before standing up a little straighter. "Can we explore some more?"

Loki nodded to her, straightening up as well and making his way through the trellis again. Jane followed eagerly, waiting to see what the man would show her next. This was exciting, and she didn't care that she was probably vibrating with enthusiasm. She looked over at him again, tilting her head a bit. "Where are we going now?"

"You're not particularly patient, are you?"

"I _can_ be," she defended, "it's just that I've never gotten to explore somewhere like this before. It's exciting."

Loki glanced at her, and Jane saw the amused twitch of his lips. "I see. Well, regardless, you'll still have to wait and see."

Jane huffed in mild annoyance, but it was gone as quickly as it arrived as they continued to walk and she was able to view more structures. She really wished that they had cameras on Asgard, even if she was pretty sure she'd never be able to forget some of these sights. She smiled again at the thought, and quickly realized that she'd smiled more today than she had in the last month.

She shot Loki a covert look this time. _And most of it is due to you. Who would have thought? _

At least she wasn't bored, though, and she even hoped that maybe Loki wasn't, either. She focused back on where she was walking. _At least if I'm nothing more than a distraction to you right now, you're still being fairly nice to me. Even if you are prone to weird mood swings that make me want to slap you again. _

She smirked some at the thought, and for a moment she thought she felt Loki's eyes on her. She glanced at him to confirm, but he was staring ahead almost contemplatively. She wasn't sure if she was disappointed or not.

xXxXxXx

Escorting Jane throughout the castle grounds proved to be a more entertaining endeavor than Loki had originally thought it would be. Once he had realized how much she enjoyed the garden, he had taken her through the scenic route of the outer courtyards, watching as she examined the statues placed about and the random flowers here and there. When they would come across another garden, she would eagerly detour from the path to look at the flowers. Most of them had similar flowers, so he wasn't entirely sure of her fascination with them, but he was content to oblige her curiosity. He noticed that she liked to run her fingers along the petals and bushes, and matched the movements to how she'd traced the spines of the books in the library.

He'd cut off that train of thought as he recalled her fingers brushing through his hair earlier that day, not wanting to indulge in such thoughts. Instead, he'd focused hard on leading her through more parts of the castle, occasionally weaving inside as well when necessary, showing her some paintings that he had enjoyed as a child. She was equally fascinated by these, despite her insistence that she had no idea how to appreciate art. When he'd asked her which paintings she had liked the most, he'd been surprised to see her point to the ones he preferred as well. He had then led her to the training grounds, but didn't allow them to linger there for very long, should they run into Thor or his friends. It was an encounter he did not want to have, and he was thankful when Jane didn't question his reasoning behind not wanting to stay.

He found himself drawn to her enthrallment with things he'd seen all of his life, and even caught himself looking at a few things differently after she spoke about them. Still, he continued to walk with her, listening to her laugh as the occasional bout of sarcasm passed between them. It was entertaining, even if he wouldn't actually say it aloud. He would occasionally realize that his smirk was growing dangerously close to a smile, and he'd quickly recollect himself. It wouldn't do well for his image if he was smiling out in public, or in general, be it as a "prince" or just himself. He was _Loki_, and he was far past being able to do such things.

Courtiers and attendants gave them a wide berth, and he was thankful that they were smart enough to do so. He wasn't in the mood to have to deal with them, and if any had any thoughts of approaching them, a well-placed glare kept them away. Jane didn't seem to mind if she noticed, and he didn't know what to make of that. She seemed to be content just strolling next to him, occasionally asking questions about things that he would offer explanations to. She listened attentively, which was impressive because he knew he tended to over indulge historical information on things. It was nice to speak with someone who was genuinely interested in these things, unlike Thor who had always complained about how he "droned on about things that weren't interesting".

Now, they were walking back towards the doors they'd originally exited the castle from, and Jane seemed to be deep in thought. It was closing in on late afternoon, and Loki turned to look at her. "Is there something on your mind?"

Jane, startled out of her thoughts, chuckled nervously. "Oh, no, nothing really," she replied with a light shrug. "I was just thinking about everything I've gotten to see today."

"Oh?"

"Yeah," she smiled. "The castle is just so beautiful. The gardens, the statues, even the sky . . . It's breathtaking. I can't imagine what it was like growing up somewhere like this."

Loki turned to look back ahead of himself. He didn't want to think what it had been like growing up here, because so much of his childhood here had been nothing more than a lie. Jane, however, didn't know that, and so he nodded slightly so he wouldn't have to divulge such information. "It's good to know that the day wasn't a waste, then."

"It wasn't," she affirmed cheerfully. "So, are those the only gardens in the castle?"

Loki hesitated for a moment, looking at the ground a few paces ahead of him. "No. There's another one."

He didn't even have to look at her; he could _feel_ the excitement rolling off of her. "Could we go look at it some time?"

Jane didn't miss the way his face grew solemn, and he seemed to have stiffened some in his stride. "No."

Her brow furrowed a little, and she looked at him in confusion. "Is it outside of the castle?"

"No, it isn't," he replied sharply, and Jane felt his tone sting more than the words. She had a feeling that she should stop pressing, but she was speaking again before she could stop herself.

"Is it just not a well kept one?"

"It is the _best_ kept one," Loki suddenly snapped, turning towards her, and Jane found herself stepping back in alarm at the sudden jump in emotion. His eyes were angry, and there was something else there that she couldn't place. "It's the garden that my mother _personally_ tended to, and it's off limits to everyone _except_ me."

Realization dawned on Jane, and she forced herself not to step back again, even though every part of her was screaming at her to _run_. She knew Loki was dangerous, and she knew that it wouldn't take a lot of effort for him to hurt her if she made him too angry. "Loki, I'm . . . I'm sorry. I know about your mother, and I've wanted to say this before but didn't know how . . . I'm so, _so_ sorry for your loss. I can't imagi—"

"You're sorry for my loss?" he repeated, although his tone dripped with acid. "You know _nothing_ of my loss, stuck in a cell with no way to defend her and listening to a guard inform me of her death! I wasn't even permitted to attend her funeral!"

Jane flinched hard again, flashbacks of the moment of Frigga's death reeling in her mind, followed by the tragic beauty of the funeral. She'd noticed then that Loki hadn't been present, but she had thought it was by choice, because surely Thor wouldn't allow him not to be granted attendance if he really wanted to be at his own mother's funeral. The revelation shook her and she bit back tears. "Loki, I—"

"Silence!" he all but yelled, and he was now quaking, although from anger or pain Jane wasn't sure. His sudden shift in emotion was still causing her brain to be unable to properly think, let alone form a sentence. He clenched his fists, his eyes flashing dangerously as he drew himself up to his full height, glowering down at her. "Do not speak of things you cannot possibly understand with your terms that _entirely_ trivialize them."

Jane willed her mind to think of the right thing to say, but she was coming up blank. The air surrounding him was emitting such a strong amount of rage that it was suffocating and she felt her tears growing harder to hold back. She opened her mouth again, but he backed up a step, stopping her from trying to speak. He narrowed his eyes further at her, and spun on his heel. "I have no interest in speaking with someone who seeks to mock my intelligence with false words of sympathy and remorse. I'm no fool, and will not tolerate being treated as such. Return to your idiotic _friends_ and offer your pathetic condolences to _them_."

_False sympathy? _"Loki, wait!" Jane cried, but he vanished in a flash of golden light. She stared at where he'd been standing for a long moment, ignoring the warm tears that had begun to trail down her face. What had just _happened_? One second things had been fine, and the next . . . She bit her lower lip, clenching her fists by her side in frustration. She had just asked a question! He didn't have to go off the deep end and accuse her of lying about being sorry! She knew what it was like to lose a parent—she'd lost _both!_—and had wanted to let him know, but he couldn't even let her do that!

Taking a deep breath, she began to walk towards the castle further, hoping that she would find the way to her room fairly easily, and also praying that she wouldn't run into anyone in the process. This wasn't something she wanted to explain, because she wasn't entirely sure that she understood what had happened. Loki was obviously angry, _very_ angry, and if what he said was true, she couldn't entirely blame him. That didn't mean he had the right to go off on her just because of a few words, though, and she fully intended to tell him that when she next saw him.

It took her a while, but she was finally able to find her bedchamber. She had stopped crying by the time she'd reached it, and had made the decision that when she spoke to Loki, she'd do her best to make it as calm as possible. Anything further would probably cause him to switch moods again, and she wasn't sure she could deal with that anytime soon. He was like a roller coaster, and it was maddening and confusing all at once.

She also wanted to find out how he'd used magic to vanish like he had, considering his explanation on his restraints. She imagined it couldn't have been very easy, and part of her was a little worried about him, even if she didn't want to admit it. She changed, preparing herself for a dinner that would probably be even more awkward than the last.

xXxXxXx

Jane wasn't surprised when Loki didn't show for dinner, but that didn't stop the disappointment she felt at knowing _she_ was the cause for his absence this time. She ate quietly, barely listening to anyone who was speaking around her unless her name was mentioned.

She glanced at the empty chair next to her and felt her chest tighten painfully.

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><p>xXxXxXx<p>

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><p>AN:_ I have fought with this chapter so much that it's ridiculous. I needed to go ahead and upload it before I tweaked it even more, haha. Things are about to start getting intense, so be prepared! What effect will vanishing have on Loki? Will Jane get a chance to speak with him? Will Sif make good on her intentions? More fun to come in the chapters ahead, and I've officially got the ending mapped out! ;)_

_Please review, as it helps me to stay motivated and update faster!_


	7. Chapter 7

_A/N:_ Hey guys, I'm back with an update! Thank you guys so much for the reviews, the favorites, and the follows! I can't believe this is already up to over one hundred followers! It's amazing! The reviews are definitely helping to keep my motivation up with this, and reading them makes my day! (So many exclamation points, haha.)

**Disclaimer: **I do not own Marvel nor any characters herein. This story is written for purely entertainment purposes.

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><p>xXxXxXx<p>

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><p>Jane stepped out of her bathing chambers, freshly clean and in one of her casual dresses. She'd woken up about an hour and a half prior, and found that she lacked the energy to move at a pace beyond a steady mosey. She sighed softly, walking past her bed (which thankfully now lacked dishes under it) and making her way to her nightstand. She stared at the two books sitting atop it, and felt a frown start to form on her face.<p>

Two days. It had been two days since she'd even caught a glimpse of Loki after he'd flipped out on her, and it was beginning to grate on her nerves far more than she wanted to admit. While she was far from expecting any sort of apology from him, she had hoped to at least be given a chance to explain herself, and maybe find out why he'd reacted the way he had.

It wasn't looking very promising, though, so she had met up with Sif to see if she could help with more preparations. With only a month and a half left before the big day, Sif had eagerly accepted the offer. They'd spoken some about the wedding, and Sif had casually asked her what she'd been up to. Jane hadn't felt like explaining everything, so she just said she'd taken a look around the castle. Sif hadn't appeared to be overly satisfied with such a vague answer, but Jane just offered her a strained smile and tried to distract herself with more floral arrangements. She hadn't wanted to think about Loki.

Unfortunately, she realized, it was growing more and more difficult not to do so.

Picking up the books, she emitted another, softer sigh. She'd go see if maybe he was hiding in the library. She hadn't been there since she'd originally taken the books, and she found the idea of returning more enticing than she realized as she left her bedchambers for her destination.

xXxXxXx

Sif waved at Fandral as she set her weapon back in its place, smiling at another successful sparring session with her fellow warrior, who was already headed out to let his horse have a run. Sif started to walk back towards the entrance to the castle, satisfied with the familiar burn of her muscles.

She may have been a bride-to-be, but she was still a warrior, and it felt good to train.

As she made her way through the halls, she wondered if Jane would be joining her today to help with the wedding plans. The woman had become scarce up until a few days ago, and any time Sif tried to ask her about it, her answers would come out rough—forced, even. What was causing the woman to be so strung out eluded the warrior, because she was obviously losing her romantic interest in Thor.

No, Sif was not ignorant. Even when she had offered Jane an opportunity to assist with planning the wedding, she'd known how the woman felt about her fiancé. It had been mostly Thor's idea to begin with, but the more time Sif spent with the scientist, especially after realizing she had no intention of being a threat, the more she discovered why Thor wanted to retain Jane as a friend.

This was why Sif was growing so concerned about the mortal. The fact that Loki hadn't been seen in a while was no shocker, but she had a feeling the two circumstances weren't far from one another.

She paused just before turning down the corridor to her bedchamber, stopped by the sound of low-pitched voices. She got as close as she could without being spotted, and was thankfully able to overhear what was being said.

"—yes. I heard that they had gone to the gardens around the castle, and even the courtyards," stated a male voice. "Not that I see the appeal."

"Well, for someone not even _from_ here, it must be quite beautiful. I'm just surprised the prince came out just to show her around. I hear he scared away anyone who looked too long, also."

The second voice belonged to a female, and Sif's eyes narrowed as she realized just who they were discussing. She turned the corner sharply, spotting a maid and guard speaking together. Their eyes widened significantly as they spotted her approaching, but they were wise enough not to try to run away.

"_You_," Sif stated seriously, pointing at the maid, whose complexion turned two shades whiter. Sif waved off the guard, ignoring the wave of relief that washed over his face as she stared down at the woman in front of her. "Loki and the girl—tell me everything you know."

xXxXxXx

Jane closed the door to the library behind her, eyes sweeping the room quickly. She sighed as she discovered she was alone, but couldn't say that she was surprised. She began to make her way over to the bookcase she'd borrowed her books from, before pausing as she realized something was different.

Where there was once a leather chair and a smaller, more uncomfortable one, now sat two leather chairs. Closer examination had her thinking that if she didn't know better, she'd venture to say they were the exact same kind of leather. The only difference that she could make out was that one of them was a bit smaller.

Jane wasn't sure if she wanted to laugh or cry, because this gesture was just so _nice_, and it was completely unexpected. She drew in a deep breath, wandering over to the chair closest to her. She ran her hand across the leather, allowing a small smile to cross her lips. She wondered why he'd gone through this much trouble to do something that seemed so far out of his character.

_But then again, most of what he's been doing lately doesn't exactly fit in with what I figured he'd be like_, she thought, biting her lower lip. _He's been bouncing back and forth so much lately that it's really hard to figure out what's up with him, but I know he's got some kindness in there. He's shown it to me, even if he doesn't exactly seem to want to . . . I wish I could just see inside his head. That would make things so much easier . . . Or traumatizing, actually. Probably a bad idea._

Sighing softly to herself, she glanced down at the books that were in her hands, a memory of something Loki had said flashing into her mind.

"_Take them back to the library. Try to read them there, and then you'll know."_

She pursed her lips thoughtfully, running her hand over the cover of the blue book on top of her stack. Deciding that she had nothing better to do than give it a shot, she moved to take a seat in the chair. It was as comfortable as she'd expected for it to be, and she found herself settling in even more.

Focusing her attention back on the book now resting in her lap, she found that she was actually a little nervous. Fighting off the unexpected feeling, she took a deep breath and opened the book to the first page.

Jane's eyes widened in shock and amazement as the pages began to shimmer with a green light, and her eyes traced the patterns of the written runes as they started to shift into different shapes. It only took a few moments before she was able to realize what was actually happening—the books were translating themselves into English right before her eyes!

She continued to watch in wonder until the pages stopped glowing, at which point she began to focus on the words that were actually on the paper. When words like _dragons_ and _serpent_ began to pop up, she knew she would be in here for a while.

The next step, however, would be finding out how Loki had done this, and why.

xXxXxXx

The tile cracked as a large, closed fist slammed down onto it, a frustrated growl accompanying the display of violence. Loki glared at the spider-webbing fractures that were forming in the once-smooth tile of his bathtub's exterior. He drew in a deep breath, trying to calm his fraying nerves as he ran a hand through wet, slick hair.

This wasn't working.

Loki wasn't in the habit of hiding from his problems per say, but this one was different. He didn't know how to deal with the enigma that was Jane Foster, and it was driving him insane. He hadn't meant to snap at her the way that he had, but that in and of itself was part of his problem with her. _Something_ about her was causing him to lose some of his self-control, and for the life of him, he had no idea what it was. As far as he was aware, the mortal had no special abilities, which made this all the more maddening. She _had_ to be doing something to him; it was the only explanation, because anything else he'd even tried to consider had made him uncomfortable.

He sank deeper in the water, seething in pain as his muscles screamed in protest. His wrists were itching ridiculously, and he cursed himself—and Jane—silently as he waited for the pain to subside. His sudden disappearance had been yet another display of cowardice from him, but he knew it had most likely just looked like rage to Jane. He was fine with that thought, thankful even, but _he_ knew better.

The effect Jane was having on his inability to control himself was frightening, and fear wasn't something he allowed himself to have. _Ever_. He didn't know how to handle this particular problem because he'd never _had_ it before. He was finding it difficult to maintain a straight face around her, especially when she stumbled over herself (as she tended to do quite a bit, actually). It was also becoming harder to leave her alone, and he wondered if it had become apparent yet. He clenched his teeth at the thought, his fists tightening once again. He inhaled deeply, trying not to allow himself to grow too aggravated. His tub wouldn't be able to withstand much more.

Sighing, he allowed himself to sink completely beneath the water, closing his eyes. All of his muscles ached, and his stomach was twisting into knots. He huffed to himself, listening to the bubbles that escaped as he did so. He'd been avoiding the kitchen the past few days, not wanting to risk running into Jane, and he was beginning to feel the effects of it.

He sat up once his lungs started to burn, pushing his hair out of his face before getting out of the bath entirely. This was growing ridiculous, and he knew it, but he found the idea of having to explain his outburst to be unpleasant for the time being. He would have to plan a satisfactory outcome before he would go to Jane, because he wanted to be prepared for anything this time. He was growing tired of being caught off guard when it came to her, and he'd been too lax in his encounters. He had enough information on her to know better.

He grabbed one of the towels off of his hanging rack, toweling at his hair some before wrapping it around himself. He wandered into the rest of his bedchamber, seeking out a pair of casual clothes. Drying himself better, he went through the motions of getting dressed before lying on his bed, his eyebrows drawing together in concentration.

He recognized brooding for what it was—he'd done it for most of his life, intentionally and sometimes unintentionally, after all. Normally his brooding was because there was something he wanted that he wasn't getting, or wasn't _capable_ of getting. Now, though, he had a question to pose to himself: What was it that he wanted in this case?

If he was honest with himself, he couldn't pinpoint one response He wanted to understand what was going through Jane's head. He couldn't read her expression when she looked at him, because what he saw was misleading. No one looked at _him_ like that; the thought was absurd.

He wanted to _not_ feel so obligated to answer her when she asked him a question. It would help to stop encounters like a few days prior.

He wanted the pain of his mother's death to go away.

He wanted his magic back without restraint.

He wanted to forget that he was actually Laufey's son, and all that had followed the discovery.

Loki brought a hand up to his face, running his fingers along it. This train of thought was unhealthy for him and he knew it. The last thing he needed to do was throw himself deeper into whatever this _mood_ was. He would just have to face Jane again, but he refused to apologize to her. She was a mortal and had no right to push him as she had, regardless of her intentions with the information she was looking for.

He was broken out of his thoughts as a knock sounded at his door. It was hard, but not forceful, and Loki didn't even have to move to know who it was that stood on the opposite side of it.

"Brother? . . . Are you in there?"

_No, and I'm not your brother, I'm the royal family's chained _pet_. You seem to forget this_, he thought snidely, scowling at the almost pleading tone in Thor's voice. How many times over the past few weeks had Thor knocked upon his door to no avail? Too many to count. Loki hadn't been aware that he held that kind of attention span.

"Please, Loki, I just wish to speak with you."

_No, you wish to hear yourself talk._

"Loki . . . Brother?"

_I am _not_ your brother! _Loki practically screamed in his head, loud enough for him to need to pause and make sure he hadn't accidentally done so physically. He listened as Thor shifted back and forth outside of the door uncomfortably, occasionally muttering another plea for his ear, before he finally conceded and lumbered off. Scoffing without amusement, Loki sat up to glare at the door, only to burst into a heavy fit of coughing. He clenched his fist against his chest as a painful spasm hit him, and his brow creased as he became lightheaded. He lay back down, grimacing.

It appeared as though going to see Jane was going to have to wait.

xXxXxXx

When Jane finally unburied her face from her book, she was surprised to discover how much time had passed. She'd placed the books in their proper locations and wandered into the hall outside the library to find it already dark outside. She started in the direction of her room, debating on where she wanted to go next—her room or the dining hall—when Sif found her. The taller woman offered her a light, good natured smile.

"I'm happy to have found you, Jane. I was growing concerned."

Jane smiled apologetically, "I meant to come find you earlier, but I got distracted with reading. I'm sorry."

Shaking her head, Sif gestured for Jane to walk with her. "Nonsense. There's no need to fret—I understand that there are more things to do around here than just plan a wedding. I would be ashamed of myself if I were to expect you to be by my side the entire time."

"Well, thank you, but I still want to be able to help out, too."

"I greatly appreciate it," Sif nodded, before a thoughtful expression crossed her features. "Have you seen Loki today, per chance?"

Jane's step faltered at the unexpected question, but she recovered quickly, hoping the warrior wouldn't have noticed. "Um, no . . . Why do you ask?"

"Just an inquiry. You said you were reading, so I assumed it may have been in the library."

"Ah," Jane nodded. "Well, you're not wrong. I _was_ in the library, but he wasn't there."

"I see," Sif sighed, although she hadn't missed the subtly resigned tone in Jane's voice. The former waited patiently as her companion frowned thoughtfully.

"Were you, uh, looking for him?"

"Not particularly. Thor was just growing concerned for his wellbeing, as we haven't seen him since dinner a few nights ago—and even then, his behavior was unusual," she replied casually.

"Oh," Jane muttered, her frown deepening. "He's probably just off sulking or something, right?"

Sif couldn't help but smirk. "He does tend to do that, yes."

Jane sighed softly to herself, thinking hard for a moment on whether she should trust Sif enough to ask her about the situation. After a few seconds, she settled on a safe question to ask first. "Does he . . . Does Loki have mood swings often?"

Rolling her eyes in spite of herself, Sif huffed. "Saying _yes_ would not be doing his mood swings justice. He once transformed into a bird and hid in the rafters for days because Fandral mocked his height while we were children. Thor had to bribe him down with stolen sweets when his mother began to question him. It doesn't take very much to rile him up, but even less so since just before the announcement of Thor's original coronation."

"Yeah, I heard he went off the deep end with that . . . The Destroyer, and then New York, kind of proved that to everyone."

Sif nodded solemnly at the mention of the battles. She hadn't liked Loki as a person in centuries, and had not trusted him in an even larger time frame, but she often wondered what had gotten into the trickster to cause him to go so far in his attempt to destroy Thor. Even in her worst nightmares, she had not thought him capable of such feats of pure hatred, and the fact that he had done so and shown such little remorse made it difficult for her to hold her tongue around him. One day she would have the opportunity to rattle some sense into him, but for now, she had to collect herself. She looked over at Jane. "Is there a reason you asked about his mood swings?"

Jane bit her lower lip contemplatively. "I'm scared I might have said something that offended him, and I don't have the first clue as to how to fix it."

Sif wanted to ask _so_ many questions in that instant alone, but she focused on her current objective. "Have you been spending much time with him?"

Jane shot her a confused look, but Sif held up a hand to stay her questions. "I merely ask to see if you have a moderate grasp on his usual behavior to compare _this_ behavior to."

". . . Sort of," Jane stated after a few stretched seconds. "I'm just a little worried is all. He's never really gone out of his way to avoid me like this before." _Although, in hindsight, I can't say I haven't done the same._

Sif nodded to her. "I see . . . Well, Loki is a complex person, regardless of what situation you are in with him. When, or if, he wishes to speak, he will find you and do so. Perhaps he is merely calming himself."

"Is that something he usually does when he's upset?"

"In my experience, he rarely does anything without thinking through every option he has first. You may just need to give him time," Sif answered honestly. As much as she didn't want to give props to the man who'd repeatedly tried to murder her fiancé, she knew how much he meant to Thor, and if her suspicions were correct, maybe even this mortal. She turned to Jane, offering her another light smile. "Now come, let us go join the others for food."

Nodding, Jane continued to walk with Sif, her mind buzzing. She wasn't quite sure where this conversation had even come from, but she _did _know that waiting was driving her crazy. Was that really the only thing she could do at this point? She stared at the floor hard, thinking through her options as ideas slowly started to formulate in her mind.

Sif watched Jane out of the corner of her eye. She was pleased that she'd gotten the woman to admit that she had spent time with Loki—it was a good starting point. She would work her way further into discovering more about their interactions, because she wanted to make sure that Jane wasn't just becoming another toy for Loki, and that he wasn't using her in some twisted way to get back at Thor. After hearing some of the rumors that were going around from the maid, however, she was finding it to be more of a perplexing situation than she'd originally thought.

Loki very rarely went out of his room nowadays, and if he did, he certainly didn't announce it with a flourish. As far as she'd been aware, he'd made it a point to avoid anyone and everyone possible since he'd been reinstated as a prince, yet he had allowed himself to be seen wandering the castle grounds with Jane. Certainly he was aware that word would spread, because as much as she still didn't want to give him more credit than necessary, the man was brilliant. He, of all people, knew how others talked—especially courtiers and the staff.

Sif was suspicious of his angle in this, but she refused to bring it up to Thor and cause him further distress until she was _sure_ of what they were dealing with. She turned to look back in front of her, determination settling in her eyes. _I'm giving you the benefit of the doubt, Loki. You don't have your magic, so you can't hurt her like that, but if you even _try_, you'll wish you had been banished to Jotuunheim by the time I'm done with you._

The women walked in relative silence to the dining hall, one with thoughts of mistrust running through her head, and one with thoughts of resolve coursing through hers.

* * *

><p><em>AN: There you go! I know this chapter is a bit shorter than the others I've been posting, but it was necessary to the story, and I couldn't add anything else to it without it becoming a ridiculous size, haha. Hopefully it's still worth it! Here we get a bit more insight into where everyone's heads are at, with a bit of a peek at Thor. Don't worry, though, his time will come and there will be quite a bit to share with him! There was also a lack of Loki and Jane interaction, but it'll be okay, because there's plenty of it the next go round, haha. Let me know what you guys think is going to happen! _

_Please review, as it helps to keep my motivation up! Thank you!  
><em>


	8. Chapter 8

_A/N: _So, I'm back! Sorry for the delay, life and work got in the way. Hopefully this will turn out to be worth the wait, especially considering this is the longest chapter yet! Thank you to everyone who has reviewed, favorited, and followed! It means so much, and it really does keep my motivation up!

**Disclaimer:** I do not own Marvel, nor any characters herein. This is written for purely entertainment purposes.

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><p>xXxXxXx<p>

* * *

><p>Two more days had passed without incident, equaling a total of four days since Jane had seen hide or hair of the Trickster Prince.<p>

Not that she was counting.

She set down the book on Asgardian cosmos with a light sigh. She'd taken a gander at the stack of literature beside Loki's chair, and had been pleasantly surprised to find books on stars and the other Realms among them. She'd quickly gathered them up for perusal, excited that the books he'd originally pointed to weren't the only ones enchanted for her. Having such vast knowledge at her fingertips made her heart flutter with anticipation, and she'd quickly delved into them.

It hadn't been long before she had gathered a significant amount of questions about what she was reading. Sif had answered as many as she was able to while they were working on various tasks, and while Jane was thankful for her efforts, she had a feeling that there were more in-depth answers she could only get from one source.

Unfortunately, that particular source seemed to be determined to avoid her at all costs. It was wearing even harder on her, and she was trying her best to stay patient. She couldn't count how many times she'd replayed their last encounter in her head, wondering which part exactly he'd thought she was lying about. Or did he really think she was lying at all? Was it just a defense mechanism for himself?

Shaking the thought aside, she stood up, exiting the library and walking down the hall. This appeared to be her new routine, although she'd occasionally take an early morning walk to start off. The first day, she'd tried to tell herself it wasn't because she was trying to run into Loki. She'd stopped bothering when she found herself looking around.

She had hoped he would grow bored and find her, if for nothing more than to alleviate said boredom. Her frustration was only fueled by the fact that she had no idea where else she could look for him. She didn't even know where his room was, for crying out loud! It wasn't like she could ask someone, either—not without a ton of awkward questions following it up.

Jane was so deep in her thoughts that she barely had enough time to stop herself before she barreled into an armored chest that turned the corner. She felt her heart flutter with hope as she looked up for a face, only to find a startled-looking Thor standing in front of her. She stepped back in surprise, trying not to let herself look too crestfallen. "Sorry, Thor, I wasn't paying attention to where I was going."

"Nor was I, so there is no need for an apology," Thor answered reassuringly. Jane offered him a light smile.

"How are you? I hardly see you wandering around anymore. The wedding must be taking up a ton of your time, huh?"

Thor nodded. "It has been quite a busy time, indeed. I've been preparing for my coronation as well, and training among my friends when I'm not being fitted for ceremonial garbs. It's not exactly what I'm accustomed to," he laughed, before frowning a bit. "I apologize for not visiting with you more, Jane. I have intended to, but—"

"Don't worry about it," Jane interrupted. "You've got enough on your plate without worrying about me, too. I'm more than capable of entertaining myself, and I've been getting to help Sif out with her end of the preparations, too."

Thor looked as though he wanted to protest her dismissal, but after a moment, he just nodded appreciatively. "How are you enjoying your stay on Asgard?"

"It's beautiful," Jane answered honestly. She paused for a moment, trying to think of the words to say what was going through her head. As happy as she was to see Thor doing so well, she wanted to ask him about his brother. Considering the history between the two, though, she wasn't sure how to go about it. She froze just before she opened her mouth.

_When did I go from constantly wanting to know what Thor is doing to worrying about his brother? _She wondered, her mind sobering some.

"_You don't really love Thor as you once claimed, do you?"_

He had been right, she realized, looking up at Thor as if for the first time. Thor was a good man, he truly was, but Jane didn't feel her heart hammering as it had before while around him. She was glad to see him happy, and found that she wasn't upset that she wasn't the cause of it. The thought made her smile some, although she couldn't figure out which emotion had brought it to her face.

"Is everything alright, Jane?" Thor asked, concern drawing his brows together. He wasn't sure what had just gone on in her head, but a few different expressions had crossed her face at once, making him worry.

"Yeah," Jane replied, grinning up at him. "I'm _so_ happy you're doing well, Thor."

"You have my thanks," Thor smiled back. "I'm glad to see you happy, too, Jane."

"Thanks," Jane smiled, before clearing her throat some. Decision made, she knew it was either now or never. "So, I know this is kind of random . . . but do you know where Loki's room is?"

"Of course," Thor frowned. "He is my brother, after all. Why do you ask? Has he done something?"

"No," Jane stated quickly, waving the statement off. "I just want to return some books to him that he let me borrow."

"Oh," Thor muttered, clearly surprised. "I had not realized that you two had gotten to spend time together."

Jane smiled a little awkwardly, praying that her face wasn't about to turn bright red. "Well, we've run into each other in the library on occasion, so I suppose it was inevitable. He suggested a few titles to me, so it gave us something to talk about."

"Well, I'm glad he's not been alone, then," Thor smiled, and Jane could have sworn she saw a sad glint in his eyes. "Has he . . . been well?"

"What do you mean?" Jane asked with a small frown.

"I have not seen him much," Thor sighed, shifting his weight some. "He seems to be angry with me, although I'm not quite sure that I understand why. I have been concerned for his health. The dinner he attended was the first time I've seen him since he returned with us from Svartalfheim."

"Really?" Jane asked, moderately surprised. She'd known Loki hadn't interacted with Thor much since their return, but she _hadn't_ been aware that he'd been completely avoiding him. "Well, to answer your question, he seems to be doing fairly well. He's been reading a lot and doing his usual moody thing, but from what I've seen he looks pretty good."

Thor offered Jane a thankful smile. "I'm glad that he has not been alone. I know Loki can be difficult, but I do appreciate that you have spent some time with him. I don't think solitude is what he needs right now."

"You don't?"

"No. I think Loki has forcibly cut himself off from everyone," Thor answered firmly. "I don't understand his reasoning—I've never understood his reasoning, honestly—but I think even he needs interaction with others. I'm glad that, if he's going to choose anyone, it is someone as kindhearted as you."

Jane swallowed, trying to fight the blush that was definitely threatening to form. "Well, I'll definitely keep that in mind when he's being difficult," she replied, unable to hide the light chuckle that escaped her lips. "Although I don't promise I won't call him out for being a pain."

"I should hope you would, actually. You are, after all, the person who taught me that slamming a cup down is considered bad manners," Thor grinned. "Maybe my brother would do well to hear such things as well."

"Maybe," Jane repeated, before sighing. She really wanted to ask Thor about the funeral, but she knew that it wasn't her place, nor was it her battle to fight. If Loki had such a problem with it, he needed to tell Thor himself. They stood together in silence for a few moments, before Jane offered him an awkward smile. "It really is good to see you, Thor. I'm excited to see what an Asgardian wedding entails."

"It'll be quite the celebration," Thor grinned, nodding down at her. "I hope I will get to see you more. Will you . . . Will you tell Loki that I need to speak with him?"

"Sure," Jane answered, despite the fact that she didn't know if she'd actually get to talk to him. She reached up to give him a light hug, which he returned appreciatively.

"Thank you, Jane," he said, before turning. "Now, as far as where his room is . . ."

xXxXxXx

Loki scowled as he turned and started back the way he'd come, rage burning his insides as he clenched his teeth so tightly he was nearly grinding them.

He'd finally decided that he had waited long enough to go see Jane (the fact that he no longer became unbearably dizzy upon standing had helped), and had made his way out of his bedchambers in an attempt to find her. He'd managed to avoid running into anyone, for which he was grateful, but had frozen once he'd rounded a corner and spotted Thor and Jane locked in an embrace at the other end of the corridor.

While the urge to cast a spell to eavesdrop on them had been almost too strong to ignore, Loki knew that he would be putting himself in too much danger if he were to do so. Therefore, when the two pulled away from each other with a smile, he had turned and silently headed back to his room, angrier than he'd been in a while.

_I suppose I overestimated her intelligence, after all,_ he thought bitterly, ignoring the part of his brain that was telling him that he was being completely irrational considering he had no idea what had actually been going on. _She's still just another one of Thor's fans, regardless of his status, and of course he would revel in it. Imbeciles._

Seething, Loki practically slammed the door behind him once he'd entered his room. He wanted nothing more than to throw a multitude of items, slam his fists into his walls and bed frame until they were dust, and scream until his voice was hoarse, but instead he sat down on his bed, raking his hands through his hair. He _hated_ this place more than he'd hated anything—and he'd thought that to be impossible when he'd discovered his true form.

He growled in aggravation before getting up and stalking back and forth in his room, glaring at the floor. He shouldn't have let that woman get as close to him as he had. She had too much influence over his moods, and he didn't have any leeway on her.

. . . Did he? He paused his stride, a thoughtful expression crossing is features. _Perhaps I have been going about this wrong,_ he though, a wicked smirk crossing his lips.

xXxXxXx

Jane had bit Thor a friendly goodbye before backtracking to the library to grab a few of the books there. She wanted to make sure that everything seemed legitimate if she were to run into anyone on her way to her destination.

She had a renewed bounce to her step as she carried the books through the halls, trying to remember the directions Thor had given her. She was hoping that she could make a difference—catch _him_ off guard for once, rather than the other way around. It may have just been wishful thinking, but she'd be damned if she wouldn't even try. Still, her resolve didn't help to quell the nervousness that was building up inside of her.

She rounded a corner, brow furrowing as she spotted a lone door at the very end of it. Well, if she went by what she'd seen, she couldn't say that she was surprised that Loki had an entire hallway to himself, but it didn't make it any less ominous. Setting her jaw and clutching the books a little tighter to her chest, she began to walk forward, focusing on making it to the door. She stared at it for a long moment, drumming her fingers on the back of one of the books

_Well, here goes nothing,_ she thought, lifting her hand and knocking tentatively on the door.

Loki, who had been lying on his bed staring at the ceiling contemplatively, sat up and stared at the door, frowning. _That knock is too light to be Thor's, even if he were trying to be stealthy. Perhaps it's a chambermaid—but they know better than to attempt to enter my room._

He sat up further on the mattress, eyes narrowing suspiciously at the structure, waiting to see if his mysterious visitor had been wise enough to leave.

Jane fidgeted awkwardly, frowning at the handle of the door. She wasn't sure how, but she was certain that Loki was in there. Hesitantly, she raised her hand and knocked again, holding her breath so she could hear any potential sounds. When nothing happened, she lowered her hand and grabbed a hold of the doorknob, only to stop herself. What if Loki was taking a bath?

_Well, it's nothing I haven't seen before, I suppose . . . Plus, he'd probably have the door closed, so he wouldn't be able to hear me knocking out here, anyway, _she thought, nodding to herself in confirmation. She turned the doorknob, only to groan as she realized it was locked. _Of course._

Loki, who had lain back down after the second knock, shot up as he heard the shaking of the doorknob. He scowled angrily, getting out of bed. _No_ _one_ attempted to get into his room without his express permission! He stalked to the door, fuming, gripping the doorknob furiously as he prepared to open it and remind the intruder of just who exactly they were messing wi—

"Loki? Are you in there?"

Loki froze in shock, hand still in place, all prior planning flying out the window with confusion. Why was Jane outside of his room? How did she even know where his room _was_?! _Certainly she wouldn't have asked Thor . . . ?_

"Loki, please, if you're in there . . . can we talk? I know you're probably still upset with me—not that you don't have the right to be or anything, of course, but . . . Well, look, I know I'm rambling, but I'm worried about you. I don't like that I haven't seen you in four days, and I kind of miss your smartass comments, if I'm honest. So, please let me in?"

Loki stared at the door as if he could see Jane through it if he tried hard enough. _She misses me? Is that what she is trying to convey?_

"If you _are_ in there, you should know that I'm not leaving until you come out or let me in. If you _aren't_ in there . . . well, then I'm talking to a door. Damn it."

Loki could hear the frustration in her voice and wanted to smirk at the absurdity of it all. He heard a _thump_-like noise and raised a brow, weighing his options. After a moment, he took a step back, still gripping the doorknob, and flung the door open.

Jane, who had placed her head against the door in agitation, squawked as her purchase was suddenly yanked away from her and she staggered forward, stumbling a few times before regaining her footing and breathing a sigh of relief. Her eyes widened as she realized she was staring at a very familiar green tunic.

Lifting her head until she could see Loki's face, she offered him a nervous smile. "Oh, uh, hey."

Loki stared down at Jane, keeping his expression neutral as he watched the woman take a step back, shifting awkwardly. "Hello. Is there a reason you are attempting to break into my room?"

Jane felt her face beginning to heat up, and cleared her throat to distract herself from it. "I was worried about you, so I wanted to make sure you were okay."

Loki's expression didn't change, but he stepped back into the room further. "You may as well come in before someone sees you. What are the books for?"

Jane followed him inside, looking down at the books as they were mentioned. "Oh, um, I didn't feel like having to answer a ton of questions if I accidentally ran into anyone on the way here, so I brought these with me so I could tell them I was returning them to you."

Loki lifted a brow, impressed that she would think that far ahead, even if he wouldn't say so out loud. He gestured to a desk-like piece of furniture. "You can set them there."

"Thanks," Jane muttered, walking over to do so. She took the moment to glance around the room, eyes sweeping over the green curtains, four-post bed (which had green and black sheets, from what she could see), a dresser, and a few other doors she assumed attached to a closet and bathing room.

Turning around as Loki moved one of the curtains to allow a little more light in, she gasped softly in shock. He looked at her cautiously, and Jane felt tears threatening to form, but she held them back with everything she had.

Loki's hair was in an in-between state of messiness and slicked back, but that was hardly what she caught herself focusing on. The pallor of Loki's skin was nearly transparent, he was so pale, and he was skinnier than Jane had ever seen him. His eyes were still as sharp and vibrant as ever, but they were overshadowed by the thick lines marring his face. Jane stared at him, wishing her mind would come up with something sensible to say.

"What are you gaping at?" he snapped, unimpressed.

The sound of his voice threw reality back into Jane and she blinked the burn of tears away. "Loki, what _happened_ to you?"

He sneered, crossing his arms. "I don't see why that would concern you."

"What does _that_ mean? Of course it concerns me!" Jane stated defensively, ignoring the actual sting of his worse. "You look like death on feet!"

"Isn't that just so _kind_ of you," he retorted sarcastically. "My health is far from your problem."

"Oh, that's such . . . such . . . _bullshit_!" Jane bit back, storming towards him. Loki watched her warily, but refused to budge as she stopped mere inches from him. She placed her hands on her hips. "What is _wrong_ with you?! I'm worried about you, and here you stand mocking me! The last time I saw you, you were freaking out and you just disappeare—oh my god, is this what happens to you if you use your magic?!"

Loki glared down at her, turning to walk away. "It doesn't matte—"

"Enough with that!" Jane growled, reaching out to grip his sleeve. She lurched forward as he yanked his arm back, rage burning in his eyes. "Do _not_ touch me!"

Jane clenched her fists, straightening up. "What is going on with you?! You're not acting like you at _all_!"

"Is that so?" he asked, emitting a humorless laugh. "What do you know of me and my behavior?"

"I know you're being a complete jackass for no reason!" Jane snapped, before reaching out as he turned again. "Stop it, Loki! Stop trying to avoid me!"

Jane grabbed his arm again, this time ignoring his attempt to rip his arm away; instead, she clung to him, moving so that she could stand in front of him. "If you don't stop trying to get away from me, I . . . I'll—"

"You'll _what_? Cling to me? Yap my ear off? Whine incessantly?" Loki asked sarcastically. "What do you _want_, Foster?"

Jane continued to grab his arm, scared he would try to vanish again if she let go. "I _want_ you to stop being so stubborn at talk to me, Loki. I know I upset you last time we talked, but I want to fix it if you would just _let_ me."

Loki stared down at her, taking in her pleading eyes and set jaw. _She really has no intention of leaving. Why does she have to make everything so _difficult_?_

"Fine," he huffed, allowing his posture to relax a fraction. Jane sighed in relief, releasing his arm. She stepped back some, watching as he moved to sit on the bed. She frowned, almost positive that he was walking slower than he usually did. _Something is definitely not right._

Feeling a little more confident now that they were nearly eye-to-eye with him sitting, Jane cleared her throat. "Look, I know I shouldn't have pushed you like I did, but I promise you that I didn't know better—and as far as the funeral went, if I would have known then what I do now, I would have fought to have you there."

Loki lifted a brow at her. "Is that so? What do you mean 'if you knew'?"

"I mean that I just assumed you hadn't wanted to come to the funeral based on what I'd heard of your relationship with your family. I didn't know that you weren't even allowed to come."

"I didn't even learn of her death until the funeral itself," he remarked with irritation, "and it was from the mouth of a guard."

Jane's brow furrowed in understanding. "Is that why you don't want to be around anyone?"

"It is only a part of my reasoning," he answered. "I have nothing in common with any of them, and I don't want to hear any of their ridiculous tales. Of course, let us not forget that I can _feel_ the hatred when I walk through the halls. I want no part of any of it."

"Not everyone hates you, Loki."

He smirked, and Jane thought she saw something almost painful in his eyes, but it only lasted for a second. "It will be a most unusual day when I believe that."

"But it's true!" Jane defended. "_I _don't hate you, and I know that Thor doesn't either—"

"And here we go, talking about _Thor_ again," he interjected with another sneer. "You know, I thought you were beginning to wise up, but clearly I was incorrect. Are you not ashamed of clinging to him?"

Jane rolled her eyes in exasperation. "Not this again! I am _not_ interested in Thor anymore!"

"Then why are you here?" he growled. "Was it not because he asked you to come?"

"No!" Jane yelled. "I'm here because I genuinely _want_ to be! Why can't you _understand_ that?!"

"Because I know better!" he roared back, jumping back to his feet. "Even if you _are_ here because you _want_ to be, you're still just around me because I'm a distraction from Thor!"

Jane emitted a frustrated screech. "That is so—urggh! Loki, that isn't _true_! Although, I don't see why you're so mad to begin with considering all I am to _you_ is a game!"

Loki's eyes widened so much that Jane saw the whites of his eyes. He was pissed, but she couldn't bring herself to care. She was tired of his attitude! He bared his teeth at her angrily, leaning down to her level in an act of intimidation.

"You'd best watch your tone, little mortal," he growled, ignoring how his skin was beginning to tingle. He was too angry to care at this point. "You are still trespassing within _my_ quarters."

"And what do you plan to do? Yell at me? Throw a tantrum?! I'm not scared of you, Loki!" Jane screamed. "You're a difficult, brooding, angering, pain in my ass!"

"Yet here you still stand, you ignorant woman!"

"Yes! Because I _care_!" she barked.

"WHY?!" he hollered back, grabbing Jane by her upper arms in frustration. "Why is it so important to you?! Why do you care what happens to me? No one else does!"

He didn't care that his shouting was growing more desperate, barely noticing until he realized Jane wasn't responding to him. No, she was staring at him with wide eyes. He gripped her arms a little tighter, ignoring a lightheadedness that was threatening to overtake him. "_What_?!"

Jane opened her mouth as if to respond, but closed it once again. Loki's brow furrowed in confusion and agitation, about to snap at her again before he caught a glimpse of one of his hands, freezing in place. Jane stiffened as his grip on her went rigid, his eyes widening in shock.

_No_, he thought, his brain unable to come up with much else. _No, no, no!_

His skin was blue. He could feel the tingling even more now, but he understood that it was residual magic fading that was causing it. He felt himself beginning to shake, but couldn't bring himself to move.

Jane gazed at Loki's face in shock and wonder. His skin had turned a shade of cobalt, and as much as she wanted to ask a myriad of questions, she couldn't tear her gaze away from his eyes, which were a vision of red she'd never seen. She could see panic building up in them, and snapped out of her trance as he suddenly released her arms, moving to back away from her.

Before she could even give it thought, Jane reached out and grabbed his right hand, causing the man to flinch heavily. He was trembling, but Jane felt more than saw it. He was wide-eyed as he stared at her, and she searched his eyes as if looking for the right words.

"What are you doing?" he asked hesitantly, his voice barely above a whisper.

Jane loosened her grip some, but didn't let him go. She offered him a gentle smile. "I'm wondering if you're going to actually talk to me instead of trying to run again."

He stared at her warily, and she took the moment to admire the stark difference between his skin and eyes. She wanted to reach up and trace the marking on his forehead to see if they were really raised, or if it was just a trick of the light, but she had a feeling that he wouldn't be very appreciative of the gesture. She ran her thumb over the back of his hand reassuringly as he continued to struggle to respond.

"Why aren't you running away from me?"

The softness of his voice was nearly heartbreaking for Jane. It was hard for her to see this strong, prideful man looking so breakable and fearful, especially after how lively he'd been moments prior. It was as if all of the energy had been sucked out of him, leaving nothing but a shell. Standing on her tiptoes, she reached out with her other hand, ignoring his flinch, and brushed a strand of his hair away from his face in what she hoped he would take as a good sign. He shuddered, but she just smiled at him reassuringly. "I'm not running because I don't see anything to run away from, Loki."

Loki's eyes widened in shock, and Jane watched as his skin began to fade back to its sickly pallor. He swallowed thickly, staring down at her. He opened his mouth, only to promptly shut it again, a million thoughts coursing though his head. _I don't understand . . . Does she not see me?_

"So, do you want to talk?"

He shifted his gaze to their hands, relieved to see his skin was almost back to normal. He cleared his throat. "We may."

Jane smiled in relief, happy to see his fear beginning to dissipate, although it appeared to quickly be substituting itself with confusion. She released his hand, gesturing to the bed. "How about we sit down?"

Loki nodded to her, moving to step forward, only for the entire room to tilt on him. He pitched forward, losing all of his balance as he threw his arms out in an attempt to catch himself. Jane yelped in surprise as he began to fall, reaching out to try and catch him. Loki's hand landed on her shoulder as she tried to grab his side, recalling too late that Aesirs' bone density made them significantly heavier than humans. She shrieked as they went down, Loki thankfully turning enough mid-fall so that he wouldn't crush her.

Jane grimaced as her shoulder hit the ground painfully, but was grateful that she was able to stop her head from hitting the floor. She groaned, shifting so she could sit up some, watching as Loki's arm slid off of her. She looked worriedly at the man, whose head was on the ground with his face partially turned towards her. She frowned, reaching out to brush his hair back so she could see him clearly, only to find his eyes closed. ". . . Loki?"

He grunted painfully, opening his eyes and looking up at her, almost as if daring her to mock him. She sighed in relief that he wasn't unconscious, leaning down some so she could get a better look at his eyes. "You know, if you didn't want to sit on the bed, you should have said so. There's no need to be so dramatic."

He scoffed, shifting a bit so he wasn't straining to see her. "I'm certain you were a riot on your realm."

"I'll have you know that I was pretty good at getting drunken snickers out of my intern," she grinned, before looking him over, sobering some. "Loki, I really am sorry about what I said the other day. I meant well, but it was insensitive of me."

He sighed, making a half-hearted shrug gesture. "There is a slight chance that I may have overreacted a bit . . . Today's circumstances might fall under that as well."

Jane was tempted to call him out on how pathetic an apology that was, but realized that this was probably the best attempt she was going to get from him. She smiled at the man again. "So, with that in mind, can we start today over?"

"I was unaware that you could perform magic," he smirked, causing Jane to roll her eyes at him.

"It's an expression," she huffed, before leaning back again. "Can you get up?"

"Yes," he stated, before rolling so that he was on his back. The action caused him to seethe, and Jane's brow furrowed in concern as he began to sit up, clearly struggling to maintain his balance. She wanted nothing more than to help him, but had a feeling he wouldn't take kindly to her assuming he needed assistance.

After a few minutes, Loki had managed to get himself up onto the bed, and had opted to prop himself up against his headboard. He looked at Jane, who was eyeing him contemplatively. He frowned. "What is it now?"

"When was the last time you ate something?" she asked sternly. He stared at her with a lifted brow, but made no attempt at answering her question. She sighed. "That's what I was afraid of. Alright, listen up. I'll be back in a little bit, so you just sit here and look pretty, okay?"

"Where are you going?" he asked, opting to ignore the insult for now.

"I'm going to get you some food, because you are _not_ going to die from malnourishment while I'm around."

"I thought you wanted to talk."

"We can talk after," she stated, turning to head for the door. "Your health is way more important—at least to me."

Loki wasn't given an opportunity to respond before Jane had disappeared through the door, and found himself staring after her long after it had closed. After a while, he shifted his focus to his right hand, turning it so he could examine it.

_I'm not running because I don't see anything to run away from, Loki._

His brow furrowed as blue fanned out across his skin, and he had to choke back the emotions that were threatening to overtake him. _She didn't run, she didn't even flinch . . . Why can't she ever do what I expect her to do? It would make things so much easier to plan for . . . _he thought, although he couldn't quite force himself to believe that. Part of him wanted to be happy that she hadn't been afraid of him, but he wouldn't dare allow himself to do so. It could have been a ruse for all he knew, even if part of him was arguing against the thought.

He stared at the blue of his hand, examining the ridges along it as he did so. He'd never really given himself the chance to look over his _actual_ skin, choosing instead to continue looking like an Aesir despite how much he had grown to despise his false family over the course of what felt like such a short amount of time. He wondered if the ridges along his skin were distinguished birthmarks, or just random markings, and briefly wished that there was more available on the heritage of Jotuuns. He froze, confused with his own train of thought. _It's happening again. This woman is once more having an effect on my thoughts, even of myself! This is ridiculous._

He sighed, reaching up and rubbing his forehead, ignoring the unfamiliar feel of ridges. The dizziness was beginning to subside, but he was still feeling uncomfortable. He wasn't sure what had prompted his skin to turn blue, and wondered if it had to do with the fact that he'd been so frustrated and angry. Then again, he'd also been attempting to intimidate her, so perhaps that had helped to cause it, too.

It wasn't as if it particularly mattered, though, because the damage was done. He glanced at the door, wondering if Jane actually intended to come back, or if she'd made a convenient excuse to escape without a big show. It wouldn't have been the first time that someone had lied to him to get away quickly, after all. He leaned his head against the headboard again, deciding that he'd rather spend his energy thinking than glaring at the door. He was thankful looks couldn't kill, because his door would have perished several times over by this point in his life.

He held his hand up to his face again, allowing it to transition between blue and white several times. It was the strangest thing, considering the transition wasn't having any ill effects on how he felt, which was unexpected seeing as it _had_ to be magic maintaining the appearance. The thought was puzzling, and definitely something he was going to have to look into when he was feeling better.

He turned his attention to the door as he heard the knob twist, watching as it opened to reveal Jane struggling to balance plates and goblets. He raised a brow as she shut the door behind her with a huff. She spun, beaming at him. "You made this look _so _much easier."

"That's probably because I have some grace about me," he teased, watching as she walked towards him. "Where did you get all of this food so quickly?"

"Well," Jane started, handing him a plate and setting the cups beside him on his nightstand. She turned to make her way to the other side of the bed. "I took it from the feast hall."

"Is that so?" he drawled, looking over the contents of his plate. "How did you manage that? They never allow anyone to take a plate away from the table."

"I walked in and started loading up our plates," she smiled. "I got some funny looks, but the only one who actually asked me anything was Thor. I told him I was taking care of something, and that it would be best if he didn't press the subject."

"And he listened?"

"Well, no," she shrugged. "But Sif stepped in and said that it wasn't a necessary requirement that I sit at the table, and since I _am _a guest, I can take whatever I want without being offensive. She shot Thor a funny look, and told me to go ahead and get what I needed."

"I see," Loki muttered, the wheels already beginning to turn in his head. _That's very unusual of Sif, she'd normally never disagree with Thor. I wonder what has caused her to change her mind._

Jane climbed onto the bed, leaning herself against the headboard next to Loki and using her fork to shift some of her food around. She looked over at Loki, who was looking down at his food curiously. She smiled. "Are you going to eat or just play with it?"

"I'm not—"

"If you're about to say you're not hungry, save it," she stated seriously, pointing her fork at him. "You're way too skinny, and don't think I haven't noticed that you didn't eat very much _before_ this. I know that the night you were at the feast with me you didn't eat anything, and since you just admitted that they don't usually let people take food out of the feast hall, that means you don't really eat dinner, either. Is breakfast all you've been having?"

He grumbled lightly to himself. "You're impossible."

"And _you're_ stubborn," she sighed. "Now eat, or I swear I _will_ force feed you."

He had the decency to look mortified. "I am _not_ a child."

"Then prove it," she retorted, sticking her tongue out at him. He huffed at her, but turned and began to eat some of the food on his plate. Jane nodded in satisfaction, beginning to do the same.

They ate quietly for a while, with Jane occasionally glancing over to ensure that he was actually eating and not just pretending. He would catch her gaze every once in a while, but after a long moment, they would both turn back to their plates silently, lost in thought.

Once he had finished his food, Loki worked on draining his cup, taking Jane's plate from her to set on the nightstand once she was done. They remained silent for a few more minutes, both debating how they wanted to start a conversation they knew they needed to have.

"You have questions."

It was a statement, not a question, and Jane knew it. She nodded, turning to look at him, but he was staring straight ahead. "Yes, I do."

"What are they?"

"I don't want to ask you anything that's going to offend you like I did the other day," she replied earnestly.

Loki frowned, looking at her finally. After a long moment, he leaned over and set his empty cup aside on the night stand. He turned back, shifting so he could face Jane a little better. "I will allow you to ask me anything you want to—if I do not wish to answer, however, I will inform you."

"Without vanishing?"

"I could not even if I wanted to," he sighed.

Jane nodded, looking him over. "Are you in the shape you are because of using magic the other day?"

"Yes," he nodded. "I acted hastily and with very little thought behind it, which is unlike me. Magic puts a large strain on my body."

"Were you worse than now over the past few days?"

"I was. I am recovering."

Nodding in understanding, Jane entwined her hands on her lap. "Are you using magic to keep the books translated?"

Loki's eyes widened, clearly surprised. "You read them?"

"I'd hoped to run into you in the library, and I realized what you'd done while I was in there the first day. Thank you for the chair, by the way."

His eyes suddenly seemed to find the blanket extremely fascinating, and Jane swore there was some red on his face. She couldn't help but smile some, but quickly found her way back to their conversation. "You didn't answer my question."

"Right . . . Yes, it requires a minimum amount of magic," he stated after a minor hesitation. Jane processed this information for a few seconds before nodding decisively. "Then I want you to stop doing it."

His eyes found hers again in confusion. "I thought you enjoyed reading."

"Oh, I do, but not at the cost of your health. Nothing is worth that," she answered seriously. "I want you better as soon as possible, even if it's just so we can argue some more."

Loki lifted a brow at her. "What does _that_ mean?"

Jane shrugged, laughing some. "Have you never noticed how often we end up yelling at each other?"

"Hmm, I suppose I haven't given it much thought," he lied. "You continue to associate with me despite all of that, though—why?"

"Because, despite _all of that_, we always end up getting along and talking like we are now, which is worth it, if you ask me," she smiled. "You're not as horrid to be around as you want to believe, you know. I'm going to do my damnedest to get that through to you."

"Best of luck to you," he scoffed.

"Thanks," she grinned, blatantly ignoring his sarcasm. "So, any questions for _me_?"

He looked at her in surprise. "That's all you want to know?"

"Of course not," she laughed, before offering him a sincere smirk. "I want to know a lot more about you, but not like this. I want to _learn_ things, and I want to hear about them when you're ready to tell me."

He nodded, although Jane could see conflict in his eyes. She hadn't realized how true her words were until she'd spoken them, and she waited patiently as he debated with himself. He looked at her curiously. "How did you find my room?"

"I asked Thor," she answered simply. "I was worried about you, so I figured your room would be where you were hiding. Thor was the only person I could think of to ask who would answer with minimal questioning."

_So, she did actually ask him about me . . . interesting,_ he thought, eyeing her. "Do you intend to return?"

"If I can't find you, and I get suspicious that you aren't eating, you'd better bet I do," she grinned.

He snorted, rolling his eyes. "I may not let you in."

"I'm persistent."

"I've noticed."

She beamed at him before jumping off the bed, walking over and grabbing one of the books. Loki watched her curiously, lifting a brow again as she climbed back onto the bed beside him. "What are you doing?"

"Well, since _you_ can't go anywhere until you're better, and _I_ can't read this," she said, laying the book in his lap, "you can read it to me in exchange for me taking care of you."

He eyed her as though she'd grown a second, and possibly third, head. "Who says I cannot go anywhere?"

"Me," she retorted. "So, do we have an agreement?"

He looked down at the book, surprised to find it to be one of his favorites. He huffed after a few seconds, nodding. "Fine."

She squeaked happily as he opened it, moving a little closer to him so she could see the writing, hoping to follow along at least some. Maybe she'd even learn to start recognizing some of the runes! Loki stiffened some at her closer proximity, but didn't mention it as he settled in and began to read aloud.

He didn't mention anything a half-hour later, either, when her head wound up on his shoulder as she asked him questions about the book, which he answered in great detail. He didn't wake her when he had to stop reading because he could hear her lightly snoring, or when she unconsciously wound her arms around his bicep in her sleep.

He looked down at her sleeping figure, leaning back and settling himself against the headboard. She shifted only a little, burying her face into his shoulder. He breathed in deeply, trying to stop himself from feeling overwhelmed. He wouldn't wake her, he decided, setting the book on the nightstand next to the plates, a light smirk playing across his features.

_What strange twist of fate has decided to see it fit to place such a fragile, yet stubborn little creature in my life?_

* * *

><p><em>AN: Well, there you go! Jane came to a realization while talking to Thor, Loki had a startling revelation, and is now more confused than ever with our favorite little mortal, haha. Now the countdown until the wedding seriously begins, and we are far from out of the clear! Let me know what you guys think is in store! I'm eager to hear your thoughts. _

_Please don't forget to review, as it helps to keep my motivation up! Thank you so much!_


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